______                       _______
/      \                     /       \
/____    \___________________/      ___\
   /       ADVANCE WARS 2         /
___/      ___________________     /____
\        / BLACK HOLE RISING \        /
\______/                     \______/




Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising
Advanced Tactics Guide v2.0
Author: Jax Omen
email: [email protected]
AIM: Jax Omen
Copyright 2003 Jax Omen

TABLE OF CONTENTS
-----------------

1)  Updates
2)  Legal Stuff
3)  Introduction
4)  Basics
5)  General Tactics
6)  Fog of War Tactics
7)  Playing Versus Other Humans
8a) In-Depth CO Information
8b) CO Rants
9)  Advanced Unit Tactics
10) Exploiting the AI
11) Campaign Tips
12) Strategies For Good Scores
13) Damage Chart
14) Created COs
15) Completion
16) Closing
17) Thanks


1) UPDATES
----------

v1.0   7/5/03   First version complete.

v1.1   7/16/03  Added Advanced Unit Tactics Section
               Added CO-Specific Tips
               Added info on CO Power Charging (Thanks Psychotic Guy!)
               Added lots of Unit Info (Kudos to ShadowFF6)
               Added my crappy ASCII art. If anyone has better, please
                  send it in!
               Added a section on how to exploit the AI for your own benefit!

v1.2   7/19/03  Added "War of Attrition" strategy to Advanced Tactics
               Added www.awbunker.com to the list of sites allowed to post
                  this faq
               Content Additions
v1.3   7/23/03  Added CO Rant section
               Added Campaign Tips section
               Reorganized some strategies so they are in the correct section

v1.4   7/26/03  Finally got Hachi!
               Added Info on last two campaign missions in Hard
               Added In-Depth CO Section
               Started to reorganize guide
               Added CO recommendations for tactics
               Removed a few bits of redundant information

v1.5   8/8/03   Started Damage Chart
               Begun Reorganization
               Fixed name of Final GE mission (I had mistakenly called it The
                  Hunt's End)

v1.6   8/22/03  Reorganized guide
               Fixed spelling/grammar errors in submitted tips
               Added the Flying Kirby Pub to my list of allowed sites.
               Added Keys to Tactic and CO sections
               Removed all of the redundant/stupid submissions (sorry!)

v1.7   9/25/03  Added LOTS more CO quotes
               Added a Created CO section
               Added some advice on Indirect and Direct unit usage
               Spelling/grammatical fixes
               Remembered to ACTUALLY FIX the name listed for the last GE
                   mission...(I can't believe I posted that I fixed it when
                   I didn't fix it...)
               Added Section on VS mode.

v1.8   10/1/03  MORE Spelling/Grammar/Formatting fixes
               Added Damage Formula
               Added a tip for Multiplay
               Added section on Scoring

v1.9   11/24/03 Changed email address. I still check the old one, but send new
                  mail to [email protected] now, please.
               Fixed stats on several COs, added attack/defense boosts on
                  COP/SCO.

v2.0   12/22/03 Merry Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/Whatever to everyone!
               MASSIVE update to the "Fog of War Tactics" section. MAJOR
                  Kudos to Lindsay40K for all her contributions.
               Significant update to CO information. Thanks again to
                  Lindsay40K!
               Added another Create-A-CO

v2.1   5/6/04   Added lots of people's create-a-COs.
               Possibly some other minor grammar fixes and the like that I
                  forgot I made... >_<




2) LEGAL STUFF
--------------
The only sites allowed to post this faq is:
www.gamefaqs.com
www.awbunker.com
fkp.cjb.net

If you see this faq anywhere else, please let me know.

Also, I will not allow any "general tips" sites (other than GameFaqs) to host
my guide. If you are a site devoted specifically to Advance Wars, then you may
ask me, but it is a waste of your time to ask me if you are a more general
site. This means my guide should never be on ign.com or gamewinners.com or
neoseeker.com, for example.

SO PLEASE STOP ASKING!

Please don't copy this faq and pawn it off as your own work. I worked very hard
on putting together this guide. Respect the copyright laws.



3) INTRODUCTION
---------------
Hi, I'm Jax Omen. Some of you may know me from the GameFaqs message boards.
Anyway, I figured that there were alot of people who would be interested in a
compilation of the various advanced tactics there are in Advance Wars 2. Please
note that this guide is not yet a comprehensive list. Many of these tactics are
carried over from the first Advance Wars.

Also, this is my first faq, so if you have any comments about the format or
content, PLEASE, let me know! I welcome your feedback. However, I do not
tolerate flame mail. If you flame me, not only will I ignore your email, but I
will probably block your address.

If you really want to flame me, I do accept flames at this email address:
[email protected]

Finally, it should be noted that I primarily play Fog of War. I don't have many
tactics that work outside of FOW, so any submissions would be greatly
appreciated.



4) BASICS
---------

Choke point: Location on the map that restricts the travel of ground units.
Hiding: Placing a land unit into a "forest" tile to hide its location from the
enemy. Also applies to naval units in reefs, and submerged submarines.
Capture Victory: Victory that is won by capturing the enemy HQ.
CO Power: Power that a CO can use when all the little stars in their CO Power
Guage are filled. Sturm has no CO Power.
SCO Power: Stronger CO power that can only be used when all stars are filled.



5) GENERAL TACTICS
------------------

___________________________________
/___________________________________\
| KEY                               |
| ---                               |
| Tactic Name: Description          |
|      Counter: Description         |
|                                   |
| Best COs to use:                  |
| 1: CO (explanation, if necessary) |
| 2: CO (explanation, if necessary) |
| 3: CO (explanation, if necessary) |
|                                   |
| Do Not Use:                       |
| 1: CO (explanation, if necessary) |
| etc.                              |
\___________________________________/

Mech Flood: This isn't really an advanced technique, but it is an effective
strategy for Sami, Sensei, Kanbei, Nell, Hawke, Lash, and Sturm. You simply
build as many mechs as possible every turn and attack relentlessly. Don't
forget to build AA units if air units are available on the map, and make sure
that if you have extra funds to buy other things. JUST Mechs usually do not
win the battle. This strategy relies more on the mechs to be the main force
of your attack, while other unit types take on a mop-up role. DO NOT use this
strategy in war room or campaign because your rank WILL suffer.
    Counter: Bombers are best, but look below for a good counter-strategy.
Best:
1: Sensei
2: Sami
3: Lash (Mountains give +40% attack, Cities give +30%)

Worst:
1: Jess (weak infantry)
2: Colin (weak infantry)


From: Japanese Cows Rule

Counter Mech Rush
The easiest way I have found to beat a mech rush is to build infantry out of
all your bases that are not already building something, eg. you have 4 bases
and 10,000G. Instead of getting a tank and saving the rest up, get a tank and
3 infantry. If you always have all your bases working on something you won't
get swarmed past so easily in a mech flood. also infantry from Nell will cost
effectively destroy Sensei's or Sami's mechs

Jax: This also should not be done in Campaign or War Room, for the same reason
as a Mech Flood: your rank WILL suffer.

Best:
1: Any

Worst:
1: Jess (weak infantry)
2: Colin (weak infantry)


Blitzkrieg: This is like a mech flood, but done with tanks. A very effective
way to clear Spann Island (the first war room map) is to do a blitzkrieg. Just
keep producing them and crush Andy. Cost prohibiting on some maps though.
    Counter: Bombers, B-Copters, Md Tanks, and Neotanks will easily thwart a
         blitzkrieg. Artillery, rockets, and Battleships work well too.
Best:
1: Max
2: Hachi (mega tank deployment, SCO)
3: Jess

Honorable Mention: Eagle (Lightning Strike)

Worst:
1: Grit
2: Sami
3: Sensei

Blocking: This one is easy to overlook, but it can increase the effectiveness
of a siege by as much as 60%. Blocking is simply placing your units on top of
enemy bases/airports/seaports. This prevents them from building more units at
these locations, giving you the advantage. ALWAYS block your enemy, it will
save you time and energy.
    Counter: Kill the units on your bases/airports/seaports. Then you can
         build there again. DON'T do what the CPU does and just build mechs
         in this situation, or you WILL die.

Best:
1: Hachi (extra deployment with SCO helps to block)
2: Colin (cheap units = more units to block with)
3: Andy (can heal blocking units when attacked)

Honorable Mention: Kanbei (blocking units are harder to kill)

Worst:
1: None

Stealing: This usually means capturing enemy territory when they have no units
nearby to stop you. Sami, however, can simply waltz right in and steal
whatever she wants, using her SCO power. The effectiveness of stealing, even
if the enemy takes their property back, is that for a few days, you get some
extra cash, while they get LESS cash. Very effective. Also, if you ever see
their HQ undefended, STEAL IT!
    Counter: Always keep at least a recon around your properties to
         discourage theft. Against Sami, though, you have to keep her from
         getting near your properties, unless she is nowhere near her SCO
         power.

Best:
1: Sami
2: Sonja (more likely see whether enemies can attack capturing infantry)
3: Kanbei (capturing infantry take less than normal damage)

Worst:
1: Jess (weaker infantry units)
2: Colin (weaker infantry units)

War of Attrition: The key to a war of attrition is to spend less than your
opponent for the same results. If you get the same amount of cash as your foe,
you can stockpile money while playing a defensive game. Save up all your money,
only buying like artillery or something (as long as you have MD tanks blocking
the enemy), until you get a TON of money. When you have enough (preferably
100000+), buy Neotanks. They own MD Tanks for 3 reasons:
1) They clobber MD Tanks in combat (they deal like 30% more damage to MD Tanks
than other MD Tanks do)
2) They are more likely to one-hit-kill units than a MD Tank
3) <most important> They have 6 move, not 5
With tons of Neotanks (preferably like 4 to start plus the cash to keep making
them), advance on your enemy with your Neotank/Artillery storm. Their defenses
will usually fold if you do it right (SCO helps if you know what you are doing),
which gives you free reign into their territory. now, this is MOST IMPORTANT:
Once you are in enemy territory, BLOCK the enemy to stop up their production
(blocking is covered above). With their production at a standstill, continue to
construct more units (doesn't matter what anymore), and mop up the remaining
resistors.
    Counter: The best counter for this tactic is to be aggressive. If you push
         the fight into enemy territory, you can block and capture enemy towns,
         thus defeating the war or attrition, or as I like to call it, the
         "Turtle Game"

Best:
1: Hachi/Colin (can build more units)
2: Lash/Grit (strongest Indirect Combat, which lets them survive longer)
3: Eagle/Drake (Eagle can Lightning Strike when attack commences, Drake can
damage and drop fuel on enemies while turtling)

Honorable Mentions:
Andy (can heal while defending)

Worst:
1: Max (has hard time staying alive in WOA)
2: Kanbei (expensive units make WOA difficult)



6) FOG OF WAR TACTICS
---------------------

Siege: This tactic is simple: Just get as many long range units within firing
distance of your enemies bases (ideally in forests/reefs) and cripple
everything they build. Make sure to bring in other units to mop up the
weakened troops (Md Tanks are best for this).

    Counter: Hide recon units in forests near your base. When the indirect
         units try to hide, they will be trapped and vulnerable instead.
         Countering with a Mech/Infantry Flood can root out indirect fire
         units. Anti Air, Infantry and Recon guards are therefore useful.
         (Thanks, Lindsay40K!)

Best:
1: Grit (super Indirect Combat)
2: Sonja (high vision means targets are easier to aquire)
3: Eagle (can Lightning Strike to move into forests, and attack in one turn)

Honorable Mentions:
Kanbei (Strong Indirect, but expensive)
Lash (very strong Indirect, since Indirect are usually on forests or better)

Worst:
1: Max (crap Indirect Combat)
2: Sensei (weak Indirect Combat)
3: Colin (weak Indirect Combat)

Rush: This tactic is similar to the "rush" in real-time strategy games.
However, you cannot "rush" your opponent expecting to simply overwhelm them
before they can get going. You WILL lose if you try this. A Rush in Advance
Wars is simply rushing your infantry units out and grabbing bases, airports,
and seaports near your opponent before they can get them. This prevents them
from getting them, as it is difficult to steal back a base early on. It also
extends your borders, meaning that while your opponent is trying to steal the
property you just rushed, you are conquering the whole map between them. This
tactic is definitely more effective in 1v1 games.
Works well with the Recon tactic, below.
    Counter: Build recons as soon as possible and send them out to nearby
         bases. Or, alternately, you can rush your opponent, forcing him to
         abandon the rushing infantry in order to stop your rush.

Best:
1: Sami
2: Sensei
3: Sonja (can see enemy forces easier during rushes)

Worst:
1: Jess (weak infantry, but she is very good at counter-rushing)
2: Colin (weak infanty)

Recon: In the early game, try to get as many recon units hiding in forests as
possible. It is not uncommon to have a recon or two hiding INSIDE the enemy
base, if you know what you are doing. The key to effective reconnaisance is to
NEVER stop a recon outside of a forest, not even to stop an infantry from
nabbing property. If you do, your recon will surely die, and you will lose the
valuable intel on your opponent.
    Counter: Well, this tactic is difficult to counter. In a link game, you
         can see the recon movement if they move through your field of view.
         But, in a VS game, this is not the case. The best way to counter a
         recon-happy player is to do some reconnaisance yourself. After all,
         what goes around comes around...

Best:
1: Sonja (obvious why)
2: Sturm (recon movement not hindered by forests/plains)
3: Lash (CO/SCO remove movement penalty)
Honorable Mention: Olaf (Snow greatly aids counter-recon)

Worst:
1: Drake (rain lowers vision, but it does go both ways)

Flanking: This tactic is invaluable when you make that big push into enemy
territory. It is also one of the hardest tactics to effectively pull off. A
flanking maneuver is simply attacking from two or more fronts simultaneously.
This forces your opponent to divide their troops between your forces,
lessening the enemy's total effectiveness. A better way to flank the enemy,
however, is when you attack from one direction as a diversion to get troops
by on another route. Say, for example, the enemy has a Neotank stationed by a
bridge that you want to get across. A solution to this would be to attack the
enemy from another spot, preferably within the Neotank's movement range. This
will usually lure the tank away, giving entry to your other forces.
    Counter: Play offensively. Seriously. The best way to protect yourself is
         to attack the enemy constantly. They can't flank you while they are
         running away (but they can lure you into a trap, see below).

Best:
1: Any

Worst:
1: None

Ambushing: This tactic is tricky to pull off against a human opponent, but is
one of the most rewarding maneuvers in the game. An ambush, as you might
expect, is when you surprise the enemy with a first strike. There are three
main types of ambushes: Choke Point, Pre-set and lure.
  Choke Point Ambushes: This is when you get to a major choke point in the
map, and you place a Md Tank (or Neotank) at the end of it, with LOTS of
indirect fire units behind it. When enemies approach the choke point, they are
blown away by indirect fire.
  Pre-Set Ambushes: This tactic does not require a choke point, but the
concept is similar. In a Pre-Set Ambush, you place lots of indirect fire units
in forests around a main path through the map. When enemy units venture into
the range of your Indirect units, lay them to waste.
  Lure Ambushes: These sorts of ambushes are extremely difficult to do. They
involve luring (hence the name) enemy troops in range of your indirect fire
units. Effective lures are usually capturing infantry, because the enemy WILL
try to stop the infantry units. Against the CPU, any unit will work as a lure.
    Counter: Well, reconnaisance is the most effective way to prevent
         ambushes (duh!). Reconnaisance allows you to spot the ambushing
         units and ambush them instead! Also, infantry/mech floods can be good
         for rooting out the offending ambushers. (kudos to Lindsay40K)

Best:
1: Grit (best range)
2: Sonja (also the best at countering ambushes)
3: Colin (can get more Indirect units to ambush with)

Honorable Mentions:
Lash (indirect hiding in forests get +20% attack)
Kanbei (very strong indirect, but expensive)

Worst:
1: Max (crap Indirect Combat)
2: Sensei (weak Indirect Combat)

EXTRA NOTE:
Ambushes do NOT have to be done with indirect combat. They can be
effectively done with direct combat units as well. As a matter of fact the
BEST ambushes will use both Direct AND Indirect combat. Here's how the
different units break down in ambushes:

Direct: generally less damage, and is visible to enemy after attacking
(usually)
Indirect: generally more damage, and is NOT visible to enemy after attacking
(usually)

however using just indirect units means that the enemy will generally go after
the indirect units. And with the low defense inherent with indirect combat,
they will die quickly, ending the ambush. Put direct combat in the mix as well,
however, and the enemy will usually try to kill the tanks, leaving your
indirect free to take another shot or two. Or they will ignore the tanks and
try to find your indirects anyways (human only, CPU generally won;t do
this...), which lets you take another shot with your direct combat.

As you can see, the best ambushes use both types of combat, although the direct
combat is generally a decoy force not a powerhouse.

Reserves: This is used to bolster most other techniques, especially those
that involve attacking or defending over numerous fronts. Have a couple of
units behind your main force, able to take the place of any units that are
destroyed. Whilst your attack is slightly weakened by these units not being
present, it is far easier to maintain momentum and react to counters (or
even pre-emptive strikes) if you have fresh units to send in. They should be
able to get into combat within two turns, if any weather conditions may crop
up in this time assume that they will, otherwise your reserves could be left
stranded and rendered useless. Artillery, Tanks, APCs with Mech, Anti-Air
and NeoTanks are the best ground units here due to their movement distance.
Fighters, Bombers and Cruisers are also useful, as Air or Sea detachments
away from land tend to require assistance from these units more than any
other. (Credit goes to Lindsay40K)
Counter: Air units are able to outflank the enemy and cripple his reserves.
Use of Recon units allows you to scout for reserves before committing
yourself to an attack.
Best:
1: Sturm (able to ignore terrain when moving)
2: Lash (ignores terrain when using Powers)
3: Adder (extra movement when using Powers)
Honourable mentions: Olaf (reserves won't be delayed by slow, and can delay
enemy reserves with Powers), Eagle (extra turn with SCO).
Worst:
1: Kanbei (buying a second force can be prohibitively expensive)
2: Andy (why bother when you can repair anything?)
3: Hawke (likewise)

Fake Reserves: After successfully capturing an objective, you can take
advantage fo your opponent's disruption to sweep through and continue to
another objective. This is usually a bad idea, since your own reserves are
probably exhausted and their SCO power probably ready for use. However, by
sending forward a fake attack, consisting of survivors of the battle for the
objective in question and installing an occupying detachment in the captured
objective, you can buy time for your occupying forces to settle in and your
opponent will probably over compensate for your blitz as he believes your
occupiers to be reserves for another attack. This is especially important
when the objective has no deployment bases and your occupiers need to be
self sufficient; also make sure you provide reserves for your occupying
force as soon as possible. (Credit goes to Lindsay40K)
Counter: Hide some Rockets, Recons, Missiles and B-ships nearby valuable
objectives. You can make life hell for an occupying force and stage a
recapture after battering their detachment or forcing it to split up on
hunting missions.
Best:
1: Andy (SCO power allows you to form a terrifying fake attack with heavily
damaged units left from an attacking force)
2: Hawke (able to heal as above and also damage 'pestering' units used as a
counter)
3: Sonja (occupiers can settle quicker and fake attack appears more of a
threat with good capturing skills)
Honourable mentions: Olaf and Drake (able to slow enemy counter attacks and
damage pestering forces with Powers)
Worst:
1: Colin (poor units make independant detachments vulnerable and fake
attacks less intimidating)
2: Grit (poor direct combat makes fake attacks less effective)

Detachments: If you arrange your forces into detachments whilst you are
deploying them, you will find it a lot easier to co-ordinate movement and
attacking. A detachment is a self-sufficient group of units that is capable
of destroying any enemy unit, refuelling itself and capturing properties.
Air and Sea detachments generally need an attached APC for refuelling,
deploying this in a forest or on an island helps keep it safe from enemy
attacks. Try to have at least one direct and one indirect combat unit in
each detachment. Indirect units must be able to fire at any enemy units that
attack any member of the detachment. Also, give the dtachment some means of
hunting for pestering attacks from hidden indirect combat unbits wthout
slowing it's advance, Tanks are good for this. (Credit goes to Lindsay40K)
Counter: Killing a detachment's APCs can leave it crippled, making ground
forces reliant on cities (thus sacrificing their mobility) and air and sea
forces have to either wait for a new APC or return to base. Additionally, a
suicidal attack that takes out all AA or indirect units can leave a
detachment horribly vulnerable to 'vultures'. A dedicated detachment of
Fighters, Bombers, Subs, Battleships, Anti Air or Tanks/NeoTanks can wreak
havoc on a general purpose detachment, but is very vulnerable to other
specialist detachments.
Best:
1: Hachi (SCO Power makes reinforcing damaged detachments a breeze)
2: Jess (Powers render APCs redundant, except to carry troops)
3: Kanbei (high defence makes supply vehicles less vulnerable)
Honourable mention: Olaf (powers disrupt enemy detachments, ability to move
in snow helps own detachments)
Worst:
1: Sensei (specialised forces make most units vulnerable)
2: Grit (reliance on Missiles to take out Air units slows his detachments)
3: Colin (weak units make supply vehicles vulnerable unless you 'double up')

Picket Line: When marching on the enemy, any unit that has two exposed sides
is likely to attract twice the number of direct combat units. Avoid this by
forming a picket line; keep your forces advancing side-by-side to expose
them as little as possible to attack. Especially useful in Fog of War
situations. (Credit goes to Lindsay40K)
Counter: use indirect combat units to punch a hole in the line, then use
direct combat units to widen the breach or wreak havoc amongst supporting
units.
Best:
1: Kanbei (makes a great wall)
2: Sturm (good defence)
3: Andy (can repair his wall on the go)
Honourable Mention: Sonja (good counter attacks)
Worst:
1: Colin (easily broken wall)
2: Grit (poor direct combat units make wall fragile)

Top That: When your opponent relies on a few powerful indirect combat units
to keep you at bay, move a superior number of units into range to attack
them next turn. They will be forced to either retreat to safer ground or
fire on some of your units, losing their expensive unit in the process.
(Credit goes to Lindsay40K)
Counter: Defend your indirect combat units. Have some tanks nearby, or set
up a Net. If you are close to friendly bases, you can try to counter with
even more units but beware of escalation to an expensive arms race.
Best:
1: Sturm (can march through cover to get at enemy units, and deploy Rocket
units quickly in forests and plains)
2: Lash (her Powers let her leap through cover and her SCO Power makes units
very difficult to weed out of cover)
3: Grit (his extra range lets his indirect combat units make mincemeat of
the enemy equivalents)
Honourable Mention: Andy, Hawke (can heal units should the enemy choose to
stay)
Worst:
1: Colin (weak units are poorly suited to this)
2: Sami (poor direct combat units, average ranged units)

Forget the Cost: Don't be too concerned with trying to make sure your
opponent loses more resources than you. Sure, in the short term the side
that inflicts heavier casualties will appear to be winning, but taking out a
couple of Rockets at the cost of a group of Neotanks can prevent further
casualties and allow you to capture objectives more easily. Mountain ranges,
forests, shoals and bases are all worth maiking a few sacrifices for, even
if you spend more on the fight for them than an entrenched opponent.
(Credit goes to Lindsay40K)
Counter: Make your opponent pay a blood price for every inch of ground you
give, an overwhelming force expects opposition to retreat and it comes as a
surprise when a cornered rabbit fights to the death. If you are defending a
base or suchlike, ignore the tempting Bombers and Neotanks that attack you
and concentrate on taking out the Infantry your opponent will need to
complete his objective. Also, try setting up dummy objectives; set up a few
indirect units in some cities with Rockets, Missiles and B-ships in position
to fire on the swarm of enemy units that descend to steal what looks like an
important part of your forces.
Best:
1: Hachi (any city is a potential objective thanks to his SCO Power and both
his Powers make it a cinch to replace casualties)
2: Sami (tough infantry can take a pounding and as soon as the opportunity
presents itself Victory March into an exposed objective)
3: Andy (SCO allows a damaged but successful force to recover instantly)
Worst:
1: Colin (takes horrendous casualties)

Control the Chaos: When fighting multiple opponents, it's important that you
do not let one particular enemy become too strong. If you let this happen,
they are likely to gather a huge amount of momentum and massacre everyone,
yourself included. To this end, you have to be able to assist any player
should they get into trouble. The dealiest technique is to let a player take
a heavy beating, say from three Neotanks rampaging through their base, and
then save them at the last minute. This way, the victim's forces are still
beaten for you, but the aggressor is unable to capitalise on their victory
properly and will not pose a threat to you. If you are assisting against CPU
player, try to make you own units less inviting targets than your ally as
there's no point taking hits for them, just break the invading forces and
leave. (Credit goes to Lindsay40K)
Counter: When attacking an enemy base, protect your flanks and rear from
unexpected attacks by other armies. A Md Tank, being slow, is well suited to
a rearguard action whether you're attacking or retreating, and serves as a
useful reserve if your attack is successful.
Best:
1: Sturm (able to reach enemy bases easily)
2: Sonja (adept at gathering intel on enemy fights)
3: Lash (good at reaching enemy bases)
Worst:
1: Colin (poor attacks makes it difficult to force a Neotank out of a base)

Skirmish Screen: When a detachment enters unknown territory, such as when a
scouting Recon is not an option, or the enemy are believed to be using
forests, a solid barrier of Infantry (with a few reserves to plug and gaps
that appear) can sweep the area clean. Often, your opponent's ambushing
Artillery will fire on this screen, leaving them within range of the main
force. A screen that takes the form of a straight line is slightly more
robust as enemy units cannot team up in direct combat. DO NOT use this
strategy in war room or campaign because your rank WILL suffer.
Counter: Use Recons to provide advanced warning of skirmishers, and send out
your own screen to bog the enemy down. DO NOT use this strategy in war room
or campaign because your rank WILL suffer. Anti-Air units can wade through
like Combine Harvesters, try to take out any Mech or Tank units with your
own indirect fire and avoid getting your lawnmowers surrounded otherwise
you'll still get mobbed.
Best:
1: Sensei (free skirmish screen that is immediately deployed)
2: Hachi (SCO Power second best to Sensei for this)
3: Lash (able to take a lot of punishment during enemy turn when you get
Trapped in forests)
Honourable Mention: Hawke, Olaf, Drake (soften up enemy skirmish screens
with damaging powers), Colin (cheap and expendable infantry)
Worst:
1: Sonja (pointless due to Enhanced Vision)
2: Kanbei (units too expensive to waste)




7) PLAYING VERSUS OTHER HUMANS
------------------------------

Playing a game of Advance Wars against another human opponent varies quite a
bit from taking on the CPU. While the same tactics generally work, Human
opponents have different weaknesses and strengths. Those will be discussed
here, as well as how to take advantage of those human traits, much to the
dismay of your opponent. Keep in mind that these are ALL generalizations, and
human opponents may or may not actually display all of these traits. They do,
however, tend to display SOME of these traits. Even I display many of these
traits from time to time...

Strengths of Human Opponents:

Human opponents are unpredictable. Humans do not follow any set build
pattern. Humans usually don't move their units in a specific, easily defined
order. Humans often SAVE their COP/SCO for when they feel it is most useful.
Humans also tend to vary their armies more than a computer. They will often
save their money and buy a single more expensive unit. Most importantly,
humans have an annoying tendency to NOT do whatever you were expecting them
to do. Never rely on your human opponent's behavior to be consistent.

Weaknesses of Human Opponents:

Human opponents are also predictable. Humans tend to build LOTS of whatever
their strongest units are (for example, Eagle players tend to mass copters
and bombers). Humans tend to expect their opponent to behave the same way
every time. Humans are dismayed when they lose an attack force. Humans tend
to use the brunt of their forces in one big attack, leaving themselves
vulnerable should their attack fail. Human players generally stick to one
tactic that they find to be particularly effective. What all this means is,
you should do exactly what your opponent DOES NOT expect you to do. This
means, if you are Eagle, maybe consider IGNORING your air force, and maybe
creating a small navy to support your land forces. This often makes it so
that your opponent, who expects an Eagle player to use air units, suddenly
has lots of AA with nothing for them to do. In the same vein, build a
moderate air force with Drake or Jess. Build indirect units with Max. Mix it
up a bit, and your opponent will soon be sent reeling from a few units he had
no preparations for. Just don't do this multiple times, as human opponents
also LEARN. Make sure to change your strategy every game. Also, use your
opponent's intelligence against them. Place a juicy target, like a Lander or
a rocket/missile, within the enemy's vision distance. Cover the unit with
indirect fire just outside the enemy's vision. Rip the foe's direct units
apart.

The Mind Game:

Human opponents are subject to trickery. By mixing up your units, you can often
hide your true numbers. Move recons from forest to forest every turn. Fake
attacks from one area, then crush the enemy's units from another. Sometimes,
do stupid random stuff for no apparent reason (making sure your enemy can SEE
the stupid random stuff) just to throw your opponent off. Build a bomber just
to force your opponent to build AA guns, then kill his AA with tanks. Or if he
decided NOT to build AA, bomb his base. The most important thing to remember
when playing mind games with a human opponent, is that humans trust what they
see more than anything, but humans are always curious. Sometimes, just move a
unit into the enemy's vision, then right back out (or just move through their
vision on a link game). The enemy will often go look at what you have over
there, distracting their forces and allowing you to take the first strike.
Also, keep in mind that human opponents tend to build according to what they
feel will counter the enemy's units best. For example, if you attack with a
wave of bombers, the enemy is likely to mass produce AA or Fighters. Let your
opponent see SOME of your forces, for example make your Air Force visible, so
that they think that is your main force. They will build units to counter what
they see. Build units that counter THEIR counters, and you are all set. Most
importantly, plan your own moves AND your opponent's moves several turns
ahead. The ability to manipulate your opponent is what differentiates between
an AW novice and an AW master.

A Final Note: Make sure to take your turns quickly. Nothing aggravates a
friend more than having to wait a long time for their turn. Also, since most
people don't have 2 hours to spend at one time playing AW2, turn off
animations. ALL animations. This usually cuts down the amount of time the
game takes by a factor of four.



8) COs
------

8a) IN-DEPTH CO INFORMATION
---------------------------

From: psychotic guy

"CO power stars:
-Each star is worth 9000 G. Getting attacked charges the bar by the amount of
damage caused in money, and attacking charges it by half that amount. Example:
Rocket does 5 damage to a neotank. Neotank CO's power meter will charge by
11000 G (22000 X 5/10 = 11000), and rocket CO's meter will charge 5500 G
-Every time a CO or SCO power is used, the stars increase by 2000 G.
-CO power stars are shown rounded down to the nearest half-star.
-When using CO powers, the stars left over are converted into the bar next
turn as cash, not stars. Example: Player using Adder has 5 stars and hasn't
use any powers yet, so the stars are still 9000 G each. Sideslip is used. The
next turn, the power bar will have the 27000 G left over from the previous
bar. Since the stars are now 11000 G each, Adder will have less than 3 stars."

*NOTE* Unlike the first AW, in AW2 the CO Powers (and SCO Powers) DO NOT add
the 10% attack bonus unless it is actually part of the power. For example
Sonja gets no attack bonus from her CO Power. The 10% defense bonus still
applies, however (i.e. _ALL_ CO Powers give at least a 10% defense bonus).

NOTE: These are all the opinions of myself and my contributors. These are NOT
fact, although they are often very reliable information.

From: atro city

"The day after a CO uses his/her power, the CO Bar will NOT fill up, regardless
of how much damage you cause. So take that advantage and pound the crap out of
your opponent right after he/she uses the CO/SCO power. (works well against
Adder, Olaf, Eagle, and Flak, mediocre against Max, Sturm, and any other CO
with a powerup factor, and horribly vs Sonja, Lash, and Kanbei)"

The "Counters" are simple the characters the CO fares well against. It does not
in any way guarantee victory to either side. This varies somewhat depending on
map (for example, on a land-only map Sami crushes Sensei, but whenever air units
come into play, Sensei has the advantage). Also, note that even though some COs
are listed as not countering anyone or not being countered by anyone, that does
not necessarily make them better or worse. It simple means there is no
particular CO that they generally stomp and/or there is no CO that generally
stomps them.

________________________________________________________
/________________________________________________________\
| KEY                                                    |
|                                                        |
| CO Name                                                |
| ---                                                    |
| Strengths: description                                 |
| Weaknesses: description                                |
|                                                        |
| Strategies that work well                              |
| how to use CO effectively                              |
| Counters: COs that this character fares well against.  |
| Is Countered By: Characters this CO struggles against. |
|                                                        |
| CO Powers:                                             |
| CO: description                                        |
| SCO: description                                       |
| Advice on when to use CO/SCO                           |
| Quote: "<quote>"                                       |
\________________________________________________________/

Andy
---
Strengths:  none
Weaknesses: none

Strategies: Any
Andy can attack on any front, which means he can fail on any front. He is a
good choice for long matches, because he can heal if necassarry. He should
have a good mix of units, since he can use any type effectively, which
means going from infantry to B-Ships. He should flank any retreating units,
since they often can cause problems later. (From NinjaofDarkness)
Counters: Olaf, Drake, Hawke, Sturm
Is Countered By: Hachi, Nell, Sonja, Lash

CO Powers:
Hyper Repair: Heals all units by 2hp.
Hyper Upgrade: Heals all units by 5hp. Provides +1 movement and a +20% attack
bonus.
Tips: Use Andy's powers at the beginning of the turn to power up and
heal your units before an assault. Alternately, use it at the end of the
turn to heal the counterattack damage you have suffered. DO NOT USE
Andy's powers if your units are healthy!
Quote: "This is how I do battle!"
      "It's time for a tune-up!"

Max
---
Strengths:  Direct Combat units +20% attack
Weaknesses: Indirect Combat units -10% attack
           Indirect Combat units -1 range

Strategies: Blitzkrieg
Specific tactics w/o FoW: Max should focus on advancing on enemy ranks with a
decent mix of AA/tanks. both are relatively cheap, and can mow down anything
in their way. in maps with lots of forests, max should play devensivley,
because he will advacne very slowly, due to the treads. space your units about
2-3 spaces apart, that way they can defend eachother in need of help, and
also arent sitting ducks for the same rocket. if anytihng, leave 2-3 AA to
defend your base if you do advance on the enemy, to take care of any infantry
or air that invades your base. in maps with ports, after you accumulate enough
funds, make a lander to land 2 tanks(MD or other wise) to wreak havoc on the
enemy base. they will probably withdraw any attack(or parts) to defend yourr
base. (From NinjaofDarkness)
Counters: Adder, Sami
Is Countered By: Grit, Eagle

CO Powers:
Max Force: Provides +20% firepower boost and +1 movement to all direct combat
units
Max Blast: Provides +40% firepower boost and +2 movement to all direct combat
units
Tips: His CO Powers are best used against Md Tanks or Neotanks. This is because
he cannot normally kill these units in one hit. He usually can kill any other
land unit in one hit with his super strong direct combat. In an Air/Sea
battle, the only advantage of his power is having B-Copters kill B-Copters in
one hit, and damaging enemy fighters severely with your own. Naval units
really don't get much better from his powers. His powers are also very useful
when you need an extra point or two of movement.
Quote: "That's enough. Get outta the road!!!"
      "I'm no show-off!"

Sami
---
Strengths:  Infantry units +30% attack
           Infantry units capture 1.5 times faster
           Transport units +1 move
Weaknesses: Direct Combat units -10% attack

Strategies: Mech Flood, Stealing, Rush, Recon (inf on mountains)
Capturing cities:
Seems simple? Yes, it is, only one thing. Cities far away should be captured
first. A lot of times the first 2 or 3 turns are capturing turns, so you are
usually safe. If you capture closest first then when capture time is over you
can't get to those farther away cities easy. Noticable on spann island, where
the Enemy CO will attack your infantry with a recon if you take to long.
(From TheEvilCubivore)
Counters: N/A
Is Countered By: Max

CO Powers:
Double Time: Provides +20% power boost and +1 movement to infantry/mechs
(unlike AW1, move cost remains normal)
Victory March: Provides +50% power boost and +2 movement to infantry/mechs.
Also
allows 1 day captures, regardless of unit health. (unlike AW1, move cost
remains normal)
Tips: Don't use her CO Power, it sucks. Instead, save for her SCO Power and
steal property from the enemy!
Quote: "You're not bad! Now it's my turn!"
      "In a test of skill, I'm unbeatable!"

Nell
---
Strengths:  Lucky units, all are normal otherwise. (Luck allows her attack to
                vary from 100% to 110%)
Weaknesses: none

Strategies: Any
Nell can attack on any front, which means she can fail on any front. She should
have a good mix of units, since she can use any type effectively, which
means going from infantry to B-Ships. She should flank any retreating units,
since they often can cause problems later. (From NinjaofDarkness)
NOTE: I copied this from NinjaofDarkness' Andy advice, since the same thing
holds true for Nell.
Counters: Andy, Adder, Flak, Kanbei
Is Countered By: N/A

CO Powers:
Lucky Star: All units become extremely lucky (they deal up to +6 damage)
Lady Luck: All units become unbelievably lucky (they deal up to +9 damage)
Tips: Use her powers whenever you have lots of opportunities to attack enemy
troops. This increases the number of times you can get "lucky hits".
Quote: "Luck IS a skill!"
      "Pretty good offense! I'm not too bad myself!"
      "Hmm... Time to get serious!"

Hachi
---
Strengths:  Deployments Costs 90% of normal
Weaknesses: none

Strategies: Any, but best with Blitzkrieg and War of Attrition
Hachi may be used in the same manner as Andy during normal combat, except that
he spends slightly less money. Try to save up money for his powers!!!
Counters: Kanbei, Andy
Is Countered By: Colin

CO Powers:
Barter: Reduces deployment costs to 50% (of normal)
Merchant Union: Reduces deployment costs to 50% (of normal). Also allows
production of land units on cities.
Hachi: Use his SCO Power when you have lots of cash, so you can make the most
of the extra unit creation abilities. His CO Power is more of a "Only use as
a last resort" kind of power. MAKE SURE to use his powers BEFORE you buy
anything (on that turn).
Also, this is so cool that I just had to mention it:
You can also use his powers to make money. Buy two identical units at half
price, then let one of them take MINOR (1 or 2 hp) damage. After one is hurt,
combine the two units. Since the merger is based on the cost of the units
NORMALLY, you will get enough money back to pay for the one remaining unit and
then some. It's not enough to base your whole strategy around, but its fun
nonetheless...
Quote: "You can call me Hachi, the best CO there ever was!"

Olaf
---
Strengths:  All units unnafected by snow
Weaknesses: All units affected by rain like other COs are affected by snow

Strategies: Any
Olaf can attack on any front, which means he can fail on any front. He should
have a good mix of units, since he can use any type effectively, which
means going from infantry to B-Ships. He should flank any retreating units,
since they often can cause problems later. (From NinjaofDarkness)
NOTE: I copied this from NinjaofDarkness' Andy advice, since the same thing
holds true for Olaf.
Counters: Sturm
Is Countered By: Drake, Andy, Hawke

CO Powers:
Blizzard: Makes it snow for one turn.
Winter Fury: Deals 2HP damage to all enemy units. Makes it snow for one turn.
Tips: Don't use his CO Power, it sucks really bad. The only time to use it is
if you are against Sturm, because he sucks in snow. His SCO Power deals damage
though, so use it when you can make the most of it: when your enemies have
lots of troops.

Olaf's power is useless. However, the blizzard effect in his super should
not be neglected. Take advantage of the situation by moving up units such
as rockets, artillery, and bombers, which would normally be in danger's way,
but since your opponent cannot move to get the first strike, then they are
forced to retreat and lose ground. (From Mr Balsawood)

Looks good so far. One thing I'd add, though, is another use for Blizzard:
aiding in an HQ capture! The enemy can't counter the capture quickly, so
you'll have an extra turn. There's still the matter of freshly built troops,
though... (From CO Cheddar)

Olaf Stradegy: Olaf was known for his (in everyone's opinion) crappy CO power
in AW1. Now he has a better SCO power, Winter Fury. There are times when you
just can't save up for Winter Fury and need some extra ground over your foe.
This is when Blizzard comes into play. Use Blizzard when:
*Your enemy is retreating and you need to finish him off.
*When you need to retreat and regroup.
*When you are regrouping and need to slow down enemy units(especially air
units).
*Your are capturing an unguarded HQ, so they wont be back in time(does not
work in some cases, but especially works in predeployed maps).
*If you are against Olaf, who is teamed with another guy, use it when an above
condition is met. The enemy Olaf's power might be filled(check with menu) and
he will usually waste it. (Jax: Only applies to CPU Olaf)
Do NOT use Blizzard when:
*You are playing with an ally who is not Olaf. This will slow them down too.
*You are only playing against another Olaf, it will be useless!
When you have Winter Fury charged.
Use Winter Fury when:
*At the beginning of the turn if you want to weaken them so you can attack.
*At the end of the turn if you want to further weaken them from your attack.
Don't use it when:
*Your enemy has all 1 HP units(hey, it could happen!).
*Your enemy is Andy/Hawke and has their powers charged, use yours after THEY
use theirs.
Olaf is good against Sturm, because he can exploit his only weakness. Olaf
should not be in a match with Drake(ally or enemy) because it will rain a lot
more when Drake is around." (From LurkerHunter)

Grit
---
Strengths:  Indirect Combat units +20% attack
           Indirect Combat units +1 range
Weaknesses: Direct Combat units -20% attack

Strategies: Siege, Ambush
With Grit in command the game changes drastically. First of all, Grit does not
rely on tank swarms to destroy his foes. Grit relies very heavily on artillery.
Not rockets, but artillery. Artillery, especially for Grit, are far more cost-
effective than rockets. Get an army that has a fair number of tanks (to soak
up damage), closely followed by a swarm of artillery and rockets. Use all other
units for support. Make sure to get AA and Missiles if playing with airports.
Counters: Max
Is Countered By: Eagle, Adder, Jess (Sometimes Lash and Sturm, depends on map)

CO Powers:
Snipe Attack: Provides +30% firepower bonus and +1 firing range to indirect
Super Snipe: Provides +30% firepower bonus and +2 firing range to indirect
Tips: Use his powers when you really need that extra point of range, or if you
need to one-hit-kill a Md Tank/Neotank.


Colin
---
Strengths:  Deployment Costs 80% of normal
Weaknesses: All units -10% attack

Strategies: War of Attrition
Colin: Colin loves maps with lots of bases because of his production
abilities. He also (normally) has the cheapest naval units in the game, so
keep that in mind. Anyway, try to stay 1 step above your opponent in unit
production. For example, you can usually build tanks much easier than the
other guy can, so do it. Also, Colin is one of the only two COs that can use
a lot of Neotanks, so deploy some whenever you can. Another good thing to do
is to get any and all spare bases on the map; extra deployment is a good
thing. And one final note; don't save up for Power of Money. I found that
Gold Rush is a much more efficient Power, allowing Colin to produce an early
Neotank or Bomber. I'm not a Colin expert, but I hope that these help.
(From CO Cheddar)
Counters: Hachi
Is Countered By: Kanbei (Despite the massive price difference, Colin deals
approximately HALF the damage to Kanbei than Kanbei deals to Colin, hence, he
is countered by Kanbei)

CO Powers:
Gold Rush: Multiplies current G by 1.5
Power of Money: Adds firepower based on cash. It gives +3% power per 1000G.
Tips: Use his CO Power when you need more cash, preferably when you already
have lots. His SCO Power is ONLY to be used when you have over 30,000G, or you
will waste it. MAKE SURE, when using either of his powers, to use them BEFORE
you buy anything...
Quote: "Let me show you the power of money!"
      "Don't underestimate me because I'm new!"


Eagle
---
Strengths:  Air Units +15% attack
           Air Units +10% defense
           Air Units use less fuel per turn (0 for helicopters and
                3 for planes)
Weaknesses: Naval Units -30% attack

Strategies: any of the aggressive tactics (except Mech Flood) and
War of Attrition
Eagle is the consummate pilot. Despite the fact that Max, Kanbei, and Sturm
all have him beat in the firepower department, and Kanbei and Sturm have more
defense, Eagle > All when it comes to aerial combat. This is partially because
his air force uses less fuel per turn (0 fuel per turn for copters, 3 for
planes). This allows his air force to outlast many of his foes fleets.
Counters: Grit, Max
Is Countered By: N/A

CO Powers:
Lightning Drive: Boosts air units attack and defense to 130% for one turn.
Lightning Strike: Boosts air units attack and defense to 130% for one turn.
Allows all non-infantry units to take a second turn. (unlike AW1, does not
drop attack or defense...)
Tips: ONLY USE HIS SCO POWER AT THE END OF YOUR TURN!!! It is completely
wasted if you use it earlier. His CO Power is usually not worth using, it
only boosts air units. However, his SCO Power allows ALL non-infantry units
to move again. This includes units that have just been built. Use his SCO
Power to finish off a weakened enemy force before they can regroup.
Quote: "Speed is the lifeblood of battle!"
      "The eagle soars above you!"

Drake
---
Strengths:  Naval Units +10% defense
           Naval Units +1 movement
Weaknesses: Air Units -30% attack

Strategies: War of Attrition, but any work well.
Drake is the undisputed master of the seas. In addition to the fuel bonuses
and extra defense, Drake gets +1 movement on all his naval units. This puts
them in another league from the other characters with strong navies, since
he can advance further on them faster, and, if need be, can retreat faster
than the enemy can advance. A master of wars of attrition, since both his
powers damage AND drop fuel for enemies.
Counters: Olaf
Is Countered By: Andy, Hawke

CO Powers:
Tsunami: Deals 1 damage to all enemy units. Cuts enemy fuel in half.
Typhoon: Deals 2 damage to all enemy units. Cuts enemy fuel in half. Forces
weather to rain for one turn.
Tips: Either power is worth using for him. They are both best used when your
enemy has lots of units, or if the enemy has submarines that are giving you
heck: the fuel drop will force subs to retreat or die.
Quote: "Wave goodbye to your troops!"

Jess
---
Strengths:  Ground Vehicles +10% attack
Weaknesses: All other units -10% attack

Strategies: Blitzkrieg, with long range support
Jess controls land combat. Her direct AND indirect land units are more
powerful than normal. Unfortunately, there are several other COs who
completely eclipse her in normal combat. She still holds her own well,
however, and she does easily have the best movement bonus style CO powers.
Fuel/ammo recovery
ROCKS! Use less APCs with Jess, since their ressuply is no longer necessary.
Counters: N/A
Is Countered By: Lash

CO Powers:
Turbo Charge: Provides +20% firepower boost and +1 movement to land vehicles.
Refills fuel and ammo for all units.
Overdrive: Provides +40% firepower boost and +2 movement to land vehicles.
Refills fuel and ammo for all units.
Tips: Use her powers when you need a movement bonus. The firepower bonus is
small and not the main draw to using her powers. It should also be noted that
both of her powers refuel and resupply Jess' troops. Don't overlook this
feature.


Kanbei
---
Strengths:  All units +30% attack/defense
Weaknesses: Deployment Costs 120% of normal

Strategies: Siege, Ambush, and Blitzkrieg.
Kanbei relies on his aggressiveness. To survive with Kanbei you must
continually kill enemy units, to reduce their advantage of numbers. Avoid
using Kanbei on very small maps, because he needs enough property to actually
afford his units.
Counters: Colin (Despite the massive price difference, Colin deals
approximately HALF the damage to Kanbei than Kanbei deals to Colin, hence,
Kanbei counters him well)
Is Countered By: Hachi

CO Powers:
Morale Boost: Provides an extra +20% attack and +10% defense bonus.
Samurai Spirit: Provides an extra +20% offense and +30% defense bonus.
Counterattack power is amplified to 1.5 times normal strength.
Tips: Use his power like Nell's: it is most effective when you have lots of
opportunities to attack. Also, Samurai Spirit generally prevents the enemy
from attacking you, except with indirects, because they don't want to eat
that massive counterattack damage.
Quote: "I do not worry about what MIGHT happen!"

Sonja
---
Strengths:  All units +1 vision
           HP hidden from enemies
           150% Counterattack strength
Weaknesses: Bad Luck (Attack power varies from 95% to 100%)

Strategies: Recon, Ambush, Flank
Sonja is like the opposite of Kanbei. Whereas Kanbei relies on attacking
blindly and overwhelming the enemy with strength, Sonja takes the more
strategic approach. Sonja's specialty is getting the first strike in FOW, due
to her large vision. Recons and tanks are the staples of her army, since they
have so much vision. Take advantage of the hidden HP when playing vs a human:
mix up your units after each turn! They will often attack, thinking that they
are hitting a 4hp tank, when they are really attacking a full HP tank! Also,
her advantage is amplified when you deliberately target the enemy's recons.
Don't let them know anything they don't have to know!
Counters: Practically Everyone
Is Countered By: Grit and Lash fare the best...

CO Powers:
Enhanced Vision: Provides +1 vision and treats forests/reefs as normal terrain
for one turn (enemy cannot hide in forests for one turn).
Counter Break: Provides +1 vision and treats forests/reefs as normal terrain
for one turn (enemy cannot hide in forests for one turn). Also allows her
counterattacks to take place before the attack that she is countering (although
the animation does not reflect this)
Tips: Use her CO Power whenever you need to see what is hiding in that
forest/reef. Her SCO power lets her hit FIRST when she is attacked, like if she
had attacked, in addition to the same effects as Enhanced Vision.

Sensei
---
Strengths:  Infantry units +40% attack
           B-Copters +50% attack
           Transport units +1 movement
Weaknesses: All ground (except infantry) and naval units -10% attack

Strategies: Blitzkrieg with B-copters (instead of tanks), Mech Flood and Counter
Mech Flood
Sensei is an oddball. He gets bigger infantry bonuses than Sami, and he has very
strong B-copters. Almost everything else, however, is weaker than normal. The
best thing to do with him is attack with a combination of Mechs (to kill AA,
among other things...), B-Copters (to kill tanks/copters/navy), and Fighters
(to kill fighters/bombers). Note that except for B-copters, his Air force is
as strong as Andy's.
Counters: N/A
Is Countered By: N/A (Everyone if Air is not available)

CO Powers:
Copter Command: Boosts copter power. Creates 9HP infantry units on all of
Sensei's cities. 9HP infantry units can move on this turn.
Airborne Assault: Boosts copter power. Creates 9HP mech units on all of
Sensei's cities. 9HP mech units can move on this turn.
Tips: Save up for his SCO Power, because Mechs are way better than Infantry.
There are two reasons to use his SCO Power: 1) You need cash. Combining the
9HP Mechs can net you quite a bit of G. 2) You need cannon fodder. The 9HP
Mechs make good decoys for enemy troops, giving you time to regroup. Also,
they can take down small vehicles easily.

Flak
---
Strengths:  Can deal up to +10% extra damage.
           Wears cool red goggles.
Weaknesses: ...But can also deal up to 10% LESS damage.
           The goggles, they do nothing!

Strategies: I recommend not using him.
Flak sucks. At its BEST his luck is no better than Nell's, and the worst is
much worse than Sonja. Also, both of his CO powers have DOWNSIDES, in that
they deal LESS damage when they hit for bad luck than he normally does.
Easily the worst CO in the game.
Counters: No one
Is Countered By: Everyone

CO Powers:
Brute Force: All units can deal between -2 and +4 damage.
Barbaric Blow: All units can deal between -3 and +7 damage.
Tips: Use his powers when you can attack the enemy. Or don't, because they
also lower his accuracy, meaning you have a chance of doing LESS damage than
you would without his power, instead of more. Generally though, you will hit
harder than normal...
Quote: "Why think when you can fight?"

Adder
---
Strengths:  Charges CO Power quickly
Weaknesses: none

Strategies: Any
Adder is the most average CO in the game. Yes, moreso than Andy even. All
the other "average" COs have some specialty, at least in their CO powers.
Adder doesn't even have that. Can be used in the same way as Andy, just
without healing.
Counters: Grit
Is Countered By: Max, Jess, Eagle, Lash

CO Powers:
Sideslip: +1 movement.
Sidewinder (called "Snakebite" in the European version): +2 movement.
Tips: Use his powers whenever they come up, really. They only give you a
movement bonus. Not very good.

Lash
---
Strengths:  Gains +10% attack per defense star
Weaknesses: none

Strategies: Lash is generally one of the better COs for any tactic, but almost
never the best.
Lash is my favorite CO. Keep that in mind. She gets an attack bonus for taking
better defensive terrain. Since any intelligent player will take the best
terrain offered to them anyway, Lash fits in very well with any playstyle. She
has some of the best indirect combat units, since those units generally hide
in forests or sit on cities. Her SCO also allows her units in forests or better
to become practically invincible for one turn. Her CO power is crap though...
Mostly, I like Lash because she rewards the player for what they do anyway...
Counters: Andy, Grit, Sonja, and Adder
Is Countered By: Maps without much terrain cover

CO Powers:
Terrain Tactics: Provides 1 movement cost over all terrain (like Sturm)
Prime Tactics: Provides 1 move cost over all terrain. Terrain bonuses (attack
AND defense) are doubled for one turn.
Tips: Don't use her CO Power, it doesn't really do much. Her SCO power,
however, is another story. It is best used when you can access cities/bases/
airports/seaports to attack from, so that you get 6 defense stars and +60%
attack!!! Mountains and HQs are bettter, but less viable. Forests are good too.

Hawke
---
Strengths:  All units +10% attack
Weaknesses: none

Strategies: Any
Hawke is like Andy on steroids. Hawke has a small attack bonus to all units,
and his powers damage the enemy AND heal Hawke. They just aren't nearly as
much healing as Andy gets. Hawke is kind of the Jack-of-all-trades in AW2:
He can heal, deal damage to the enemy, and has attack power to boot.
Unfortunately he is not the best at any of those things, but the combination
of them all makes him very formidable.
Counters: Drake, Olaf, Sturm
Is Countered By: Andy, Lash

CO Powers:
Black Wave: Deals 1HP damage to all enemies. Heals 1HP to all Hawke's units.
Black Storm: Deals 2HP damage to all enemies. Heals 2HP to all Hawke's units.
Tips: His powers can be used in much the same ways as Andy's and Drake's
powers: Use them at the beginning of your turn to soften up the enemy and
recover your troops, or if your troops are healthy already, use them after
your turn to recover the damage they suffered from counterattacks, and weaken
your foe even further.
Quote: "This is the end."
      "I give you credit for pushing me this far."

Sturm
---
Strengths:  All units +20% attack/defense
           All units have 1 move cost over all terrain (does NOT allow
                passage across normally unpassable terrain)
Weaknesses: Snow negates movement cost advantage
           No CO Power
           SCO Power takes LONG time to charge
           SCO Power not worth 10 stars (Meteor has limited usefulness, power
                boost only equivalent to Morale Boost otherwise)
           Friends will hate you if you use him against them

(I got nitpicky with Sturm. I was trying to show all the disadvantages to
playing as the cheapo. Sturm is still overwhelmingly powerful and
unbalancing. I recommend that you do not play as Sturm in VS mode, or your
friends will get mad at you :)

Strategies: Any
Sturm is cheap. Period. He is almost (but not quite) as strong as Kanbei,
without the high deployment cost. Just don't rely on your SCO very much
when against a human player...
Counters: Everyone except...
Is Countered By: Olaf

SCO Power:
Meteor Strike: Drops a meteor on the battlefield, dealing 8HP damage to all
units in the blast zone (includes Sturm's units). Powers up Sturm's attack by
+20% and defense by +30% for one turn.
Tips: Use his SCO Power when the enemy has lots of troops clumped together.
Be aware that he does not have a CO Power, and you cannot aim his SCO Power
manually.
Quote: "Such power, I regret crushing it."
      "BURNING EARTH!!!"

Jax: Sturm's CO power targets based on units VALUE (i.e. cost in G), not on
the number of units. So therefore you would have to have 16 infantry to
get it to target them instead of a single MD Tank. And, while you build up
those 16 infantry, you will not have the other units you need to weather
Sturm's assault. In short, you will die. DON'T try to decoy the meteor with
infantry.

COUNTERING THE METEOR: The best way to counter the meteor is to build a group
of at least 4 Md Tanks, and put them on your cities near your HQ. This is
ALMOST always enough to direct the meteor towards them. Also, they can act
as good HQ defense in the meantime, and they heal after the meteor hits,
meaning that they will surely be back at full health by the time that Sturm
charges his meter again!


Also, MasterPoker reminded me of something important:

Several CO Powers can be used to locate enemy units in FOW (or dived subs):
Olaf  (SCO only)
Drake (Both)
Hawke (Both, reveals Hawke's units to enemy as well)
Sturm (The meteor will target the highest value enemy cluster. Pay attention)



8b) CO RANTS
------------

ANDY
---
Andy is no longer a loser. This is an important fact to remember. ANDY NO
LONGER SUCKS. This is mostly because the other COs are more balanced now,
and Andy has one of the BEST SCO Powers in the game: Hyper Upgrade. Andy can
weather a massive assault when his units suddenly regain five health! Plus
they get stronger attacks and a movement bonus too! Andy rules!

SONJA
---
Sonja has this stigma of being a bad CO. LOTS of people don't like her because
she has no combat boosts. As a matter of fact, she has slightly weaker units
than Andy, because she has slightly bad luck (although its only really
noticable when she deals 105% damage and the enemy survives with one HP). Her
real strength, of course, lies in FOW. Her CO and SCO Powers grant her the
AWESOME ability to see hiding units without encountering them. Due to this, she
has some of the best long range units in the game, and she is the best at
countering reconaissance-heavy players, since they must rely on forests to hide
their recons/missiles/tanks. Also, strange as it sounds, Sonja has some of the
better Md Tanks and Neotanks in FOW. While they are not very powerful, she is
the only CO who can still see her targets when her recons are destroyed. This
means her heavy tanks are not killed by indirect combat units just outside
their vision range quite as much. Not to mention the fact that under Counter
Break, she will waste anything that attacks her. Sonja is my 3rd favorite CO.

LASH
---
Lash is misunderstood. Many people seem to think that Lash sucks, because she
is only as strong as Andy. Also, many people misunderstand her CO powers to
mean that they decrease movement to 1. Her powers decrease movement COST to 1
(just like Sturm does naturally). I THINK (not sure) that this is all her CO
power does, but her SCO Power also doubles terrain stars for that turn. Also,
Lash can be HORRIBLY powerful, when used properly. Any of Lash's units sitting
in a forest have +20% defense AND attack. This means one of her units in a
forest is as strong as a like unit of Sturm's sitting on a road. This also
means that units on cities become equal to Kanbei's units (and if you are
smart, you already have your units on enemy bases to block their
construction...). This also makes it much harder to stop her capturing
Infantry/Mechs, because they get a damage bonus in their counterattack
(especially true for HQs, because they offer a 40% attack/defense bonus).
This also means that Lash has a really powerful Mech Flood. Since Mech Floods
usually work best on mountainous terrain (bigger advantages over vehicles)
like Banker Hills, Lash's Mechs often have +40% attack during a Flood. Plus,
her SCO Power makes Mechs on mountains practically invincible (a full health
Mech on a mountain with Lash's SCO power takes about 8% damage from a full
health rocket)! Plus, Lash is simply fun to play as, and she has AWESOME
music. Easily my favorite CO.

HACHI
---
Holy crap this guy is cheap! His units cost 90% of normal, with no weakness.
But, more importantly, Hachi has the most evil CO powers in the game. First of
all, they both drop deployment costs to HALF normal deployment costs. Very nice.
In addition to that, his SCO lets you build ground troops from any CITY. I like
it. But thats not all! Also, since he gets units at half price, you can actually
use his CO Powers to BUILD HIS GUAGE FOR CHEAP! For example: a Fighter normally
costs Hachi 18000G, but he gets to buy it for 9000G with his powers. He then
LOSES the fighter. He has just gained 18000G worth of CO Power for 9000G!!!!
Plus, he can deploy TONS of neotanks with his SCO. Just save up your money for
it, so you can make the most of the increased production and the lowered costs.
You can also use his powers to make money. Buy two identical units at half
price, then let one of them take MINOR (1 or 2 hp) damage. After one is hurt,
combine the two units. Since the merger is based on the cost of the units
NORMALLY, you will get enough money back to pay for the one remaining unit and
then some.

MY TOP 10 FAVORITE COS
---

1:  Lash
2:  Eagle
3:  Sonja
4:  Andy
5:  Hachi
6:  Grit
7:  Sami
8:  Olaf
9:  Sensei
10: Colin

MY MOST HATED CO
---

Adder.
What good is he? No strengths, a weak CO power, butt ugly, lame music... What
does Adder have going for him? Many people say "at least he is better than
Flak", but I disagree. At least Flak has some strength going for him. Flak is a
bad CO, but even he is more interesting than Adder. Plus, I have seen Flak kill
a 5HP Md tank with an Infantry unit, using his SCO. Can Adder do anything like
that? I didn't think so...

I also hate Sturm, because he is so powerful that he is no fun to play as.
I don't care about him being UBER for the campaign (but why doesn't he have the
weak 4hp meteor strike for a normal CO Power?), but they should have nerfed him
SOME for VS. mode.
Granted, he was nerfed TOO MUCH in AW1, but they could have made him like the
Sturm you fight in The Final Battle on AW1, I would have been very happy having
+20% attack -20% defense. Sturm could have been a fun CO to use. As it stands,
he is just too powerful. At least his CO Power sucks for 10 stars, since that
is really his only weakness (snow does not actually affect him more than anyone
else, it simply affects him the same as Andy, etc. He is reduced to double
NORMAL movement costs under snow).

From: ShadowFF6

"On Eagle: (Note: AA refers to Anti Air as well as Missiles, Fighters, and
Cruisers. Anti Air refers to the specific unit) Eagle's SCO is the main crux
of his abilities, done well nothing can recover from it. In my opinion Eagle
should be using his Air units for almost all activities. Ground and Sea units
are primarily for taking out AA, refueling (APC) and indirect fire, although
let them have fun once they are done with these various tasks ^_^. Once enough
damage has been done, and you have a few Bombers (As well as a Fighter or Two,
depending on the enemies army composition), fire off that SCO. Your Bombers
will be able to take out anything that is dangerous to them in the two turns
they get. Focus on AA, then Indirect, then various ground/sea units starting
with the most powerful. Remember getting rid of AA is important, as they are
the only thing that can stop your powerful Bombers. When using your Lightning
Strike, however, it's a good idea to leave Cruisers and Anti-Air until after
using the power, as the power boost will leave less damage to be dealt to you
in counter attack. Once all established AA units are gone, it is relatively
easy to keep them in check while you rain death upon your opponent, just have
some Tanks ready to take out approaching Anti-Air units, and Fighters to keep
the other Fighters in check. Although Bombers are the main point of Eagle's
attack force there should always be a few Tanks, Copters, and Anti Air, to
protect the Bombers and do some mop up.

As for using Eagle at the start of a mission, I find it useful to start
sending B Copters at the enemy early on, after you don't need the money for
Soldiers and Transports. B Copters can be very annoying if they get to the
enemy soon enough, though this works better on computers and Island maps, as
your Friend is likely to build some Anti Air or Copters himself early on too,
but the Island maps they will be all alone ^_^.

One more thing, APCs are invaluable as Air units use lots of fuel, just to
stay up, and also because their move range allows faster consumption. And if
done right your Bombers will last until they are out of either ammo or fuel.
This can also apply to other COs, particularly Grit, to make sure his
Indirect Units remain refueled, or any other CO who uses Fuel or Ammo
intensive units that tends to last a long time. Even if it doesn't though,
an APC or two can be useful."


9) ADVANCED UNIT TACTICS
------------------------

On using Indirect Units effectively:

Whenever using Indirect units, try to protect them. The ONLY indirect unit
with any defense whatsoever is the Battleship, and for 28000G you won't be
buying them in bulk. Artillery can usually weather one hit from a tank/mech
without becoming USELESS, but Rockets and Missiles can be crippled to
uselessness for something that costs far less than half their cost. Whenever
using Indirect units, make sure to protect them with infantry, tanks, and/or
Md Tanks. Neotanks are usually unecessary, since the MD tank can't be one hit
killed under most circumstances, and the MD tank can always stay ahead of the
indirect. Infantry are cheap and effective for slow moving indirects, such as
when they are traveling through forests. Tanks are good because they are
inexpensive, and cannot USUALLY be one hit killed (although it does happen
often enough...). The exception to this, of course, is when you are using your
indirect units to lure the enemy into an ambush. This can be very effective,
since if the enemy units are in range of your indirects, they will have to
attack or pull back, which MOST human players will choose to attack it,
opening themselves up for massive retribution. Just don't overuse this
tactic or your opponent will begin to figure it out...

Another important note for indirects is to use them when your opponent
least expects it. Just because Max is the worst at indirect combat doesn't
mean you shouldn't use them. On the contrary, sometimes against a human
opponent you can win simply by building lots of indirects while you are a
CO that specializes in direct combat (this describes most COs, but Max,
Kanbei, Adder, Jess, and Eagle are probably the most prominent direct
combat characters, due to their movement bonuses, unit type
bonus, and in Kanbei's case, extreme power). I have won matches simply
because my opponent didn't expect Max to build 6 rockets to back up his
Md Tanks. It was fun, and he cursed me out afterwards!!!

On using Direct Units effectively:

Whenever using Direct Combat, use the unit with the highest vision to
attack first. This open up more of the battlefield to your view, allowing
your lower vision units (Md/NeoTanks and Bombers, generally) to smash with
impunity. Of course, if the high vision unit is spotting for anything, the
unit that is being spotted for should take the shot first, before the vision
is lost (most important in forest combat).


From: ShadowFF6

"Transport Copters can be very nice for blockades after they are done
transporting Soldiers. They can often attract attention away from other units
(Especially with an infantry in them, if you are willing to spare the extra
cash ^_^) and can serve pretty well to just stand in front of more valuable
units, though they are weak they can only take up to about 50% from any units
other than Anti Air and Fighters (B Copters can do well against T Copters but
whether they are destroyed depends on the situation) And that extra turn for
your MD Tank, or Rocket can mean a lot.
Rockets are great but remember they move very slowly against non-paved
terrain, When the base is far away from the action just send an Artillery, if
you don't need the extra two range. Rockets move across plains at a rate of 2,
and forests at a rate of 3, very slow. (If you have Sturm, who moves across
all terrain at a rate of 1, or Lash, whose CO powers do the same thing, than
you can negate this penalty)
Sturm and Lash's abilities to move across all terrain at a rate of one might
not seem like much but notice the following. You can outrun most units by
going into a forest, as the enemy can't move as far as you can, so even if
you were right next to them they can't give chase. Also the Recon has the
second largest move range, but the worst movement type (Range 8 Type Wheels)
but with no movement penalty you have a unit that can move 8 spaces anywhere,
an enormous range for something only $4000.
When you have multiple units available for the same task, always make sure to
think what order to use them in.
Example: You have 2 MD Tanks, one right behind the other. There is Recon
blocking movement 2 spaces in front of the front MD Tank (There is a gap
between them) and a Rocket 6 spaces in front of the MD Tank. If you have the
front tank attack the recon you will not be able to reach the rocket. But if
you have the back MD Tank attack, the front one can then go and destroy (Or at
least cripple) the Rocket. This is a simple example but it is always something
to keep in mind. Always send the farthest back units to attack the front line,
so that the units nearest the enemy can get farther in.
This may seem obvious but when sending multiple units to attack a single enemy,
start with the one that is most resistant against the target, whether it is
because of armor, or because it can move to a space with better terrain cover.
i.e. When attacking a Bomber, use the Fighter first, and then the Anti Air.
When using two Tanks vs. another Tank, use the one that can do it from one of
your cities first."

Jax: Those last two tips are easily overlooked...


"The way I see it, battles have two phases. The base establishing, and the
Combat. The first phase is when you send out all your Soldiers carried by APCs
and/or T Copters.

Here is the way I see the Base Establishing Phase. If you can spare the money,
Soldiers that go into transport units should be Mechs, as they can handle
themselves much better after they are done capturing and you start the Combat
Phase. During the early game you are assured the cities and bases right near
your HQ. Send a few cheap infantry that you can't spare a Transport for to
capture these. But any units that can be transported should go as far as they
can, and reasonably expect to grab Cities and Bases further ahead. Any City
you get close to where most of the fighting will go on is another repair
point, and every base is another way to respond quickly to changes in the
enemy's army. If you have to wait 2 or 3 turns to get a Soldier up to a Base
or Airport (Sea units are expensive so getting them early on isn't as
important, but they generally rank ahead of cities, unless you really need the
Repair and Restock) then do it. A base can produce some more Soldiers to
capture more territory, or perhaps Tanks and Recons for protection. Airports
can make some B Copters to protect your newly acquired territories. The first
units to get to you will be easily taken out by B Copters. But once the
Combat phase begins, anything behind the front line is yours to capture,
so don't worry about those territories as much.

In Combat phase, those furthest away properties you have determine where the
front line is. Not to mention they allow you to react faster. Artillery or
MD/Neo Tanks? Build a Rocket, with some cover those units should fall quickly.
An Artillery unit can work fairly well too, if you don't need to worry as much
about enemy indirect, and are, pound for Gold, more powerful than Rockets, but
Rockets tend to scare the enemy from advancing certain units more effectively.
B Copters are great for taking out those indirect units as well, and for
softening up those Tanks first. Bombers, while expensive can also take out
Anti Air units that threaten them, and do more than just support your tanks,
as they destroy or heavily cripple anything they hit. Subs are always good
against those Battleships, and those Landers transporting some re-enforcements.
Cruisers are good for protecting you Battleships from subs and Bombers, and
are just generally good when the enemy Airports lie across the Sea from the
front lines.

As you push the enemy back always try to capture enemy property that is
unguarded. Drop an artillery or tank over bases/airports/ports until a
Soldier can get to it. Once it is captured, you get the extra cash, and a new
deployment point closer to the action, and the enemy loses both of these.
If you destroy the enemy unit standing on the property, and then start to
capture, you already have a defense from one side, but put units on all sides
until the enemy can't attack, as both humans and AI don't want you touching
their property. The capturing of Deployment points should always be at the
head of your worries. That APC that runs around restocking your troops should
carry a soldier for just this. If not it will always act as a magnet to prevent
your more valuable units from being attacked (A bit cruel but... meh :P)"

Keep in mind that this general strategy only works when you and the enemy start
of more or less equal. If the enemy starts off with a Md Tank or two, or if
they have enough money to initiate the combat phase immediately, then you will
have to do things a bit different.


"Hmm... A bit more then, now I'll try giving my beliefs on individual units,
but just ground units for now, I'm not paid enough to keep typing all this
crap ^_^

Soldiers:

-Infantry: Infantry should be used when your are sending them to capture
property on foot, or when you don't have the money to spare for a Mech to do
something they are better suited for.

-Mech: When transporting Soldier a Mech is a better choice if you have the
money, as its movement range doesn't hurt when something else is lugging it.
They are great vs. lesser vehicles if they get the first attack, and can take
great advantage of mountains, allowing them to counterattack well too.

-General: When done with capturing keep them just behind the front lines, so
that they can capture properties, or be used to guard other units, or to clear
that 1 or 2 HP unit away.

Tanks:
-Tanks: Tanks work well vs. all ground units save Md/Neo Tanks and Mechs,
the Tanks which annihilate them, and the Mechs often times do to much return
damage to warrant the damage done to them. They are also weaker Vs. B Copters.
Their cheap price and good move range makes them good for taking out indirect
units or just acting as shields and mop up units.

-MD Tanks: These do well vs. the units that can normally destroy tanks, though
they still take some damage. B Copters and Mechs can do some damage, but Mechs
take a lot in return (the Mechs do more damage money wise than they take
however) B Copters still don't take too much damage, but should be taken out
early as they can provide a severe annoyance. MD/Neo Tanks can do well against
these if they attack first.

-Neo Tanks: These should be used along the lines of a more powerful MD Tank
with more move range, they aren't too differently used than MD Tanks.

-General: All tanks are destroyed by Indirect units or Bombers, and put up no
struggle in return. Other indirect units can keep the enemies indirect units
from advancing, and Anti Air and Fighters stop those Bombers, always have some
of these units to help.

Indirect:

-Artillery: Good to get to the action fast and cheap, unlike the other
Indirect they use Treads which means they move faster on plains and forests.
The damage difference between Artilleries and Rockets is not to significant as
most units that are hit by one of them are crippled to uselessness.

-Rockets: Better range and attack power over the artillery, at the cost of an
extra $9000, the use of wheels (2 over plains, 3 over forest, when using its
move range) and a bigger blind spot. The blind spot is harder to protect and
easier to exploit by the enemy, but works well across natural barriers
(Mountains, Sea, Rivers) and scares away some Artillery that won't get near
the front lines in fear of being blown up before they get a chance to attack.

-Missiles: In many cases not as useful as Anti Air, as they must either attack
or move, and, unlike rockets, their targets can fly around your units and
reach them easily. Not to mention Anti Air can take hits from B Copters easily
too. But a Missile that has range over an Airport is a good threat to anything
the enemy deploys from there. Grit's Missiles can be respectable however. And
a net of several Missiles can work fairly well too, if you set it up so that
its impossible to bomb a missile without putting yourself in range of another
one.

-General: These are what your Soldiers are going to want to guard. With your
Rockets and Artillery raining death upon the enemy they are usually the first
thing to be destroyed when the enemy gets the chance. Soldiers on 2 or 3 sides
are usually enough to get the unit an extra turn to be protected and used.
Also they are good for scaring away enemy indirect as the enemy won't move any
indirect in your range, as they will be wasted money. All indirects can be used
in the net manner I mentioned in the Missile description, but this is generally
expensive, and usually not worth the money, but if the enemy is using a few
powerful units, this will force them to build several weaker units before they
can advance.

Miscellaneous:
-APC: Very good for moving your Soldiers to capture those far away bases to
give you an advantage right away. Once they are done with this they are still
good to keep some Soldiers on the front lines to be able to capture enemy
property. However T Copters cost the same and transport better. The good point
of APCs is their ability to refuel, which is essential for Submerged Subs and
those Bombers you protect well enough so that they start to run low on fuel or
ammo. A single APC on the front lines can help a lot, and an APC with a Soldier
in it draws fire fairly well.

"As far as APC advice goes here is another little tip. If you are trying to get
an APC to an infantry put it six spaces in front of it. Since getting the
infantry into the APC after it has moved is useless, you can get an extra 3
spaces out of this. Just put the APC Six spaces in front and move the infantry
forward to it three spaces. On the next turn load up the infantry and get
moving. Of course this doesn't always help but it is pretty obvious when you
do and don't want to use it."

-Recon: Great for early games when you have plenty of roads. After making your
capturing force send out a Recon or two to slow down the enemies capturing
progress. With a range of 8 they can reach the enemy very fast, as long as
there are plenty of roads. After this though they aren't too useful outside of
FOW. In the evil Fog, then it is a good idea to keep a Recon or Two with all
masses of units, as well as the occasional Recon in a few forest all over the
map.

-Anti Air: Anti Air are great for covering your Tanks from Bombers. Cheaper
(and Deployed from bases) than Fighters they do well against all air units,
and only fall to a battle initiated by the Bomber. They are also more
versatile than Missiles, which are also taken down by B Copters easily, they
can destroy all manner of Soldiers, though they do take respectable damage
from first striking Mechs, and don't fare well against Tanks, though they can
do around 3 damage to them at full health (Don't even think about attacking
Md/Neo Tanks though)

Helicopters:

-Transport Copter: The best way to transport Soldiers, range of 5 and it
flies. Of course that is about all it does, however being able to move 5
spaces unhindered by terrain is very nice. Keep in mind that the copter
itself can't be over the sea to release its cargo. The transport copter has
poor defense though and can be taken down fairly easily by MD/Neo Tanks which
do around 50% and of course any self-respecting AA (Again AA means any unit
adept at combating air units, not just Anti Air units, which are addressed
specifically as Anti Air) can destroy it in one hit.

-Battle Copters: These have slightly more armor (MD/Neo Tanks do around 25%)
though any AA Unit that doesn't kill it reduces it to Join or blockade fodder
(i.e. 1 to 3 HP). Battle Copters are great for use against any ground unit
other than Anti Air, which they will do about 20% damage to before being
reduced to falling bits of metal. They do around 50% to lightly armored
vehicles (i.e. not Heavy (Md/Neo) tanks) and around 1 to 3 damage to Heavy
Tanks, varying on the COs and luck. They also do 6 to 7 damage to infantry and
usually take no damage from them if they attack first, and 1 damage if the
unit is well defended or if it attacks first. Against other Battle Copters
the end result is usually 7 HP for the attacker and 5 for the defender. B
Copters can also do some respectable damage to Cruisers, around 5, but that
5 HP Cruiser can still knock a good chunk of health off of your Battle Copter

-General: With good range and flight, Helicopters are quick responders,
however their armor leaves something to be desired when compared to planes.
They can be taken down by the fairly cheap Anti Air, and can't defend against
them. Though they can outrun them if needed, however. And while they don't
fall to them, a few Heavy Tanks can knock a Battle Copter down to useless
health levels, while taking mostly negligible damage themselves, or destroy
a Transport Copter. And of course Fighters just chuckle to themselves as they
blow any copter away with no effort. As a result always have a few Battle
Copters when attacking Heavy Tanks, and always bring support with your
Transport Copters. Other than that though they do fairly well against ground
troops, and though they do small damage they can be good for harassing sea
units at around 20-30%. However once Fighters arrive, be prepared to knock
them down or don't even bother with copters.

Planes:

-Fighter: Fighters don't do minor damage. They either dish out massive amounts
or take massive amounts, with some exceptions when vs. other fighters.
Fighters are superb for downing Bombers and Battle Copters, crippling Bombers
to the point of uselessness and destroying Copters, including that Mech or
Infantry T Copters may be carrying. Against other Fighters, they do around 5
damage, 7 if they have a CO boost. After this nice power though, Fighters are
destroyed easily by AA units. Anti Air units do good damage and take no
retaliatory strike. Same with Cruisers and Missiles (though indirect are never
involved in counter attacks ^_^). There is usually no such thing as a 6 or 7
HP Fighter. It's either Annihilated or limping back for repairs or to Join, or
totally destroying its Target.

-Bombers: Ah sweet Bombers. Maybe it's because I use Eagle all the time but I
love these, I will try to remain objective though ^_^. Bombers do massive
damage to all they hit, usually no less than 7 under normal circumstances.
(Unusual circumstances too?) Even the Air killing Anti Air and Cruisers don't
have much left to retaliate with. Anything the Bomber attacks can never give
an adequate counter attack. Of course this rule works both ways, as the Bomber
itself can never give adequate counters. Any AA units destroy or cripple
Bombers. Bombers are great for taking out those annoying Indirects behind the
front line or for helping out with Heavy Tanks. Unfortunately when taking out
those Indirects, any intelligent player will have some AA unit on standby.
Bring a Fighter, or go for the Anti Air or Missiles first to handle this.

-General: Enormous move range, and completely unhindered by terrain (And
completely unprotected) nothing responds faster than planes, and nothing can
rule the Sky like a Fighter, and nothing destroys ground and sea units like a
bomber. As always though keep in mind that no Air unit can take a hit, a
single Fighter, Anti Air, or Cruiser can end your 20,000 or 22,000 gold
investments killing spree very easy. Always make sure to take out any AA units
first or you won't be doing much. Fighters and Anti Air before Neo Tanks and
Rockets is your strategy if you are sending in Air units alone."

Lander: The only transport unit capable of moving your non-infantry ground
units around. Invaluable on Island maps, when you attack large islands. Air
Units and Battleships, should clear the shore first as your unloaded units will
be set out undefended, and one of them will most likely be on the Beach with no
cover. Landers have good armor against all but Bombers, Subs, and Indirect
units, all of which will either destroy or severely weaken a Lander when at
full health. Always make sure that your Landers are safe when sending them out,
as two attacks from the aforementioned units will always down them, and in some
cases you get single hit kills. And losing a $12000 Lander with whatever its
carrying (Two Neo Tanks can mean up to $56,000 damage, more if you are Kanbei,
and that is not mere pocket change, even if you bought them with Hachi's CO
Power) Not sure of exact damage numbers as I protect them fairly well.
However they are still great units as no matter how good you are with your
Air Units, you can always use some Tanks and Indirect units.

Cruiser: The usefulness of Cruisers can vary depending on the mission, so its
hard to get a good average on them. Cruisers can destroy Air units and Subs,
as well as transport up to 2 copters, adding another 6 spaces of sea to their
movement range, to sacrifice their attack, and they also get refueled. Cruisers
are nice for protecting your Landers and Battleships from Subs and Bombers.
Although the submerged Sub has to be next to one of your units to be seen, so
often times it is too late to stop major damage. T Copters can help here, just
move them at random with out telling them to wait, over the sea. Other units
can work too but T Copters are cheap and this is a good extra job for them not
to mention *traps* negate the attack of combat units for the turn. Cruisers are
nice near small islands where there is little room for the Air Units to hide.
It's not easy to say when they will have the chance to attack air units. But
you always need them for Submerged Subs. Keep in mind that they can't take
Bomber damage too well, and Battle Copters can do respectable damage, so try
to avoid taking the first hit.

Subs: Capable of easily destroying Battleships and Landers (and can do fair
damage against Cruisers if they get the first attack) and are the only unit
capable of hiding in non FOW. This makes them great for attack Battleships and
Landers, if your opponent forgets that it is there and tries to send across a
Lander stocked with Heavy Tanks, start laughing. And Battleships will have to
limp back to port if they want to be of any use. Unfortunately they can only
remain submerged for a short period of time. They use five fuel per day just
to stay down there. Moving about down there they can only likely last around 6
turns. And if your enemy is Drake? well I'd just stick with Bombers. Their
ability to hide can also make them great point blockers in the few points
where this happens on the Sea. You can just use them to surround a Battleship
or Lander to protect them.

Jax: "This is Drake's real strength. His submarines use less fuel when
submerged (3 fuel per turn I think), so they last ALOT longer underwater
than anyone else's subs."

Battleships: Ah, no matter what I love these like I love my Bombers. Range of
Six makes up for their limit of staying on the Sea, and more importantly,
allows them to take out Rockets without putting themselves in danger (Unless
they are Grit or you are Max) And though they are limited to the sea, they
travel that sea fairly well, moving at a rate of 5, slowed only by reefs
(Stopped by land but?) Capable of doing plenty of damage, not susceptible to
Tank attacks, and with too great a range to worry about indirect, they only
need fear Bombers and Subs, which is why a Battleship (or a fleet of them)
should have a Cruiser to stand guard. Or at least make sure that Sub or
Bomber doesn't do that again. There really isn't much to say for these guys.
Just Position them and rain death, or position them just outside of Rocket
Range and watch them scurry, or attack your other units and then get blown
away.

All Ships have armor than is resistant to Tank fire. Other than that it is
similar to Md/Neo tank armor. Only Landers can go on beaches, and Ships can
only receive cover from Reefs, which they require 2 movement points to get
on."


All Ships have armor than is resistant to Tank fire. Other than that it is
similar to Md/Neo tank armor. Only Landers can go on beachs, and Ships can
only recieve cover from Reefs, which they require 2 movement points to get
on."

Jax: Thanks for all the unit advice ShadowFF6!

From: psychotic guy

"APC's move 6/7 spaces a turn. That means it's possible to have 2 infantry use
the same APC without lowering its speed. Just load up infantry #1, move the APC
full-speed and drop, and move infantry #2. On the next turn, infantry #2 should
be able to reach the APC. This allows the whole pattern to repeat endlessly."



10) EXPLOITING THE AI
--------------------

Thanks to pi314159 for some corrections in this section.

It is fairly well known that the AI in the first Advance Wars was faulty. With
a little know-how, you could complete missions where your enemy had 3 or 4
times as many units as you did in far less time than the "perfect speed
score", simply using some basic exploits. This is not quite as true for the
sequel.

AW exploits that have been fixed:

Transports are no longer top-priority targets for CPU players (in the first
AW the CPU would attack an APC instead of the Infantry that was capturing their
HQ!). Instead they are assessed with the same priorities as any other unit.

Infantry are now prioritized correctly.

The AI seems to run through their units again, which lessens the "forgotten
unit" problems of AW1.


This priority assessment consists of:
Value of damage that will be dealt (cash value)
Value of damage taken (cash value)
Threat value of target (IE capturing Infantry rate higher than missiles for
ground troops)

The most important factors are the value of damage dealt vs the value of damage
taken. The CPU will rarely initiate an attack when this value is <= 0 (the
exception being for capturing infantry, which will be attacked regardless of
the "risk" calculated in this manner). This means, the most effective way to
"decoy" the CPU in AW2 is to send infantry to capture stuff. It doesn't seem
to matter what they capture. I have killed Neotanks by trying to capture a
city. When I started to capture, the Neotank came in and smashed my infantry.
I proceeded to crush it with rockets and artillery.

I repeat: THE CPU PLAYERS WILL ALMOST ALWAYS ATTACK AN INFANTRY UNIT (THAT
IS IN THE ACT OF CAPTURING) OVER ANY OTHER UNIT. Use this to your advantage.

Another important factor in tricking the computer player is recognizing the
order in which they move their units. The CPU will always attack with terrain
weapons first (IE the black cannon), then comes the CO Power check. The CPU
decides to use a CO Power based on the following criteria:

Is the SCO Power ready?
    Yes? Use SCO Power.
    No?  Is CO Power ready?
         No?  End CO Power check.
         Yes? How far has guage progressed past CO Power level?
              Less than 10%  Probably will use CO Power.
              More than 10%  Probably will save up for SCO Power.

After the CO Power check (regardless of whether one was used), the computer
moves infantry units to capture (if possible). After Infantry, the CPU
attacks with Indirect units. After the indirect, the CPU will bring in their
Direct Combat troops to fight. Then the CPU will build units and perform
anther CO Power Check (This check applies only to Andy, Hawke, Drake, Olaf,
and Eagle, and only uses Eagles SCO Power, it will not use his CO Power at
this time).
After the final check the CPU will end its turn.

Here's a simple list of the computer player's move order:

1:  Fire cannons/deathray/lasers.
2:  Check for CO/SCO. Use if applicable (see above)
3:  Move infantry/mech to capture.
4:  Fire with indirect units.
5a: Move and/or attack with direct units (higher movement range always goes
   first).
5b: Attack/move with infantry, then mech. (They act like direct combat units,
   but have the smallest ranges.)
6:  Move with indirects
7:  Move transports
8:  Build units
9:  Use CO/SCO power (if applicable)

UPDATE: I have found that Olaf does not always use his SCO, if the weather is
already snowing. This is a massive improvement from the first AW, where he
ALWAYS used Blizzard the turn it came up, regardless of the current weather.
I do not know if Olaf ever uses his powers when the weather is already snow,
since I have only had this situation happen a couple times. More info on this
as I find out. Also, I think Sturm can use his SCO during the middle/end of
his turn. Not sure though.



11) CAMPAIGN TIPS
-----------------


From: Big Bob

"During Campaign Mode or the War Room, you have to deal with "Technique" to
determine your rank. Technique is how many of your units were destroyed. When
two units are joined together, the extra life is turned into funds. Now, if
there is a damaged unit with around 1-3 HP left, you can build another unit of
the same type, then join the undamaged unit with the damaged one. The extra
will become funds, you don't have to waste money repairing the unit, and the
opponent has one less target to destroy, setting up for a high technique
rating."

Dealing with "Terrain Units"
---
"Terrain Units" are units such as the Black Cannons and Minicannons. The
easiest way to kill them for anyone with powered-up air units (Max, Eagle,
and Kanbei naturally, and Andy and Colin with their SCO Powers) to bomb them.
They should deal over 100% damage and kill them instantly. If that option is
not available, rockets are a good way to nail them without taking return fire.

Dealing with the Volcano
---
The Volcano has two set patterns it drops the lava in. Watch this pattern and
make sure not to place your units in the way. If you are good, you can lure the
enemy units into the line of fire (lol that was a bad pun).

Managing Multiple COs
---
This is only really an issue in the last three Campaign Missions, The Great Sea
Battle, Hot Pursuit and Final Front. In other missions with multiple COs, one is
the main CO, and one provides support. That is made very clear at the beginning,
so managing multiple COs is not an issue there. However, on the last three
missions, you get to pick 3 COs to fight with, and they all get substantial
bases. The problem is that you must then plan your battle three steps in advance,
instead of only one or two. You now must concern yourself with questions like
"if I put this unit here will it block Max's Neotank on his turn?". You also
must build APC units for multiple COs, because you are not allowed to refuel
your allies' units.

On The Great Sea Battle, I recommend Picking Eagle, Max, and Kanbei. Here's why:
1: Eagle is easily the best GE CO.
2: Max owns the ground, and the second CO chosen is in a good ground force
position.
3: Kanbei has powerful everything, and won't really contribute to the battle
until later.
Basically just advance with Max and Eagle, capturing everything on the way.
Have Eagle Bomb the Black Cannon and press your advance. Kanbei, on the
other hand, needs to land at the bottom right island and take it over, then
land near the other Black Cannon. If you are smart, you will see that the city
by the pipe is five spaces away from the seam. Blow it away with
Kanbei's Rockets. You win. If you did it quickly with minimal losses,
and you were aggressive with Max and Eagle, you should get a good rank (A or S).
This tactic has been tested and DOES work in Advance Campaign (I refuse to call
it hard campaign, I think Advance Campaign is a better name)

On Hot Pursuit and Final Front (Normal Campaign), I recommend this team:
1: Olaf (snow slows Sturm, damage dealing SCO)
2: Eagle (He rules) (maybe change this to Drake in HC)
3: Max (for sheer power)

This team should get you by.

Also, on Final Front, if you can't seem to beat Sturm back with your forces in
the 30 day limit, here is an underhanded but effective tactic:
Put eagle on the left, dont care about the others, they are there to absorb the
hits.
Send middle CO's units over to protect Eagle.
Eagle gets Bombers whenever possible (capture first to enhance cash flow, of
course), and moves them north.
When coast is clear (IE no AA guns/missiles/fighters), Bomb the Pipe and go
through. Continue to bomb pipes unit you reach the deathray. Bomb the deathray
(with full health bomber) to win.
The key here is to get Sturm to advance on your other two COs. If done properly
he will stop producing units in the top middle area of the map, instead opting
to build closer to his enemy. This leaves the deathray open to attack, so all
you have to do is kill any AA or Fighters that come near the Bombers.
Also note that this strategy will get you a CRAPPY score (I got a B-rank,
because I didn't lose many units, but I didn't kill many either).

*NOTE* This strategy does not work in Advance Campaign, because the map
has been changed and you can no longer just "sneak in".



12) STRATEGIES FOR GOOD SCORES
------------------------------

Having trouble getting an S-rank on a mission? Here's some advice on how to
maximize your scores in AW2.

SPEED
---

Make sure that you build as efficiently as possible. Make sure that you
maximize the damage dealt by allowing the units that are FURTHEST back attack
before the ones near the front. This allows you to destroy the enemy force
easier. Also, play the level multiple times. After a play-through or two, the
basic layout of the battle will become more familiar to you, and you are
likely to see ways to defeat the same size of a force in less time.

POWER
---

This one is simple. Power is based soley on how many units you kill in ONE
DAY. Therefore, the easiest way to get a high power score is, near the end
of a match, when victory looms near, make sure to DAMAGE as many units as
possible, to the point that they can be killed in one shot the next turn, but
do NOT damage them so badly that the computer decides to merge them. Then,
the next turn, crush the weakened forces and watch your power score rise
through the roof.

A perfect power score is killing 10% of the total number of enemies built in a
single day.

TECHNIQUE
---

Technique is very poorly documented. Technique is simply based on the number
of units killed as opposed to the number of units created. In a war room game
a perfect technique score is when you lose 10% or less (rounded down) of the
units you've made. This number is 20% in campaign mode. This means that if
you make 10 units in a war room game, you may lose 1. 50 units, you may lose
five. This also appears to mean that if you lose more than five units, it is
impossible to have a perfect technique score. However, keep in mind that
joined units contribute to the units BUILT, but are not considered lost.
Therefore to maintain perfect technique, you must join your units together
until you have built a sufficient amount of units to grant you that coveted
S-Rank. Also, a good tactic for keeping your technique up on smaller maps where
you are unlikely to ever hit 50 units, is to simply build as many infantry as
possible after your victory is assured (ie after you have overwhelmed the
enemy defenses and they cannot build enough to stay alive much longer),
because those infantry are cheap to build and each one built adds to the
total units deployed. So, if you lost 4 out of 34 units built, you would NOT
have perfect technique. However, if you had spent the last several turns
pumping out waves of infantry, your number of units deployed would have
risen enough to allow 4 deaths in a perfect technique score.



13) DAMAGE CHART
----------------

(Pipe refers to all terrain objects, including the Black Cannon, Minicannons,
etc. They all take the exact same amount of damage)

The damage formula for AW2 is:
Damage = Attack Power * (200% - Defense Power - Terrain Bonus)

This explains why, for example, Kanbei deals less than normal damage to another
Kanbei, when they are both on roads:

Damage = 130% * (200% - 130%) = 130% * 70% = 91% damage.

And now, without further ado, here is the damage chart:

/-----------------------------------------------------------------------------\
| Land | Inf | Mech | Recon | Tank |  Md  | Neo | Art | Rocket | AA | Missile |
|------+-----+------+-------+------+------+-----+-----+--------+----+---------|
|Inf   | 55% |  65% |  70%  |  75% | 105% | 125%| 90% |   95%  |105%|         |
|Mech  | 45% |  55% |  65%  |  70% | 95%  | 115%| 85% |   90%  |105%|         |
|Recon | 12% |  85% |  35%  |  85% | 105% | 125%| 80% |   90%  |60% |         |
|Tank  | 5%  |  55% |  6%   |  55% | 85%  | 105%| 70% |   80%  |25% |         |
|Md    | 1%  |  15% |  1%   |  15% | 55%  | 75% | 45% |   55%  |10% |         |
|Neo   | 1%  |  15% |  1%   |  15% | 45%  | 55% | 40% |   50%  |5%  |         |
|Art   | 12% |  70% |  45%  |  70% | 105% | 115%| 75% |   80%  |50% |         |
|Rock  | 25% |  85% |  55%  |  85% | 105% | 125%| 80% |   85%  |55% |         |
|AA    | 5%  |  65% |  4%   |  65% | 105% | 115%| 75% |   85%  |45% |         |
|Miss  | 25% |  85% |  28%  |  85% | 105% | 125%| 80% |   90%  |55% |         |
|APC   | 14% |  75% |  45%  |  75% | 105% | 125%| 70% |   80%  |50% |         |
|TCopt | 30% |  35% |  35%  |  40% | 45%  | 55% |     |        |120%|   120%  |
|BCopt | 7%  |  9%  |  10%  |  10% | 12%  | 22% |     |        |120%|   120%  |
|Fight |     |      |       |      |      |     |     |        |65% |   100%  |
|Bomb  |     |      |       |      |      |     |     |        |75% |   100%  |
|Land  |     |      |       |  10% | 35%  | 40% | 55% |   60%  |    |         |
|Cruis |     |      |       |  5%  | 45%  | 50% | 65% |   85%  |    |         |
|BShip |     |      |       |  1%  | 10%  | 15% | 40% |   55%  |    |         |
|Sub   |     |      |       |  1%  | 10%  | 15% | 60% |   85%  |    |         |
|Pipe  | 1%  |  15% |  1%   |  15% | 55%  | 75% | 45% |   55%  |10% |         |
\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------/

/----------------------------------------------------------------------------\
| Air/Sea  | B-Copter | Bomber | Fighter | Cruiser | Submarine | Battle Ship |
|----------+----------+--------+---------+---------+-----------+-------------|
|Infantry  |    75%   |  110%  |         |         |           |     95%     |
|Mech      |    75%   |  110%  |         |         |           |     90%     |
|Recon     |    55%   |  105%  |         |         |           |     90%     |
|Tank      |    55%   |  105%  |         |         |           |     80%     |
|Md Tank   |    25%   |  95%   |         |         |           |     55%     |
|NeoTank   |    20%   |  90%   |         |         |           |     50%     |
|Artillery |    65%   |  105%  |         |         |           |     80%     |
|Rocket    |    65%   |  105%  |         |         |           |     85%     |
|Anti-Air  |    25%   |  95%   |         |         |           |     85%     |
|Missile   |    65%   |  105%  |         |         |           |     90%     |
|APC       |    60%   |  105%  |         |         |           |     80%     |
|T-Copter  |    95%   |        |  100%   |  115%   |           |             |
|B-Copter  |    65%   |        |  100%   |  115%   |           |             |
|Fighter   |          |        |  55%    |  55%    |           |             |
|Bomber    |          |        |  100%   |  65%    |           |             |
|Lander    |    25%   |  95%   |         |         |    95%    |     95%     |
|Cruiser   |    55%   |  85%   |         |         |    25%    |     95%     |
|B Ship    |    25%   |  75%   |         |         |    55%    |     50%     |
|Sub       |    25%   |  95%   |         |  90%    |    55%    |     95%     |
|Pipe      |    25%   |  95%   |         |         |           |     55%     |
\----------------------------------------------------------------------------/

Secondary Weapon Damage

Several units, such as the mechs and tanks, have secondary weapons, always
machine guns, that are used when the main weapon runs out of ammo. Here's how
much damage these units can do when out of ammo. (Yes, I was extremely bored
and decided to find this stuff out)

/-------------------------------------------------------\
| M Guns   | Mech | Tank | Md Tank | NeoTank | B-Copter |
|----------+------+------+---------+---------+----------|
|Infantry  |  65% |  75% |   105%  |   125%  |    75%   |
|Mech      |  55% |  70% |   95%   |   115%  |    75%   |
|Recon     |  18% |  40% |   45%   |   65%   |    30%   |
|Tank      |  6%  |  6%  |   8%    |   10%   |    6%    |
|Md Tank   |  1%  |  1%  |   1%    |   1%    |    1%    |
|NeoTank   |  1%  |  1%  |   1%    |   1%    |    1%    |
|Artillery |  32% |  45% |   45%   |   65%   |    25%   |
|Rocket    |  35% |  55% |   55%   |   75%   |    35%   |
|Anti-Air  |  6%  |  5%  |   7%    |   17%   |    6%    |
|Missile   |  35% |  30% |   35%   |   55%   |    35%   |
|APC       |  20% |  45% |   45%   |   65%   |    20%   |
|T-Copter  |  35% |  40% |   45%   |   55%   |    95%   |
|B-Copter  |  9%  |  10% |   12%   |   22%   |    65%   |
|Pipe      |  1%  |  1%  |   1%    |   1%    |    1%    |
\-------------------------------------------------------/



14) CREATED COS
---------------

Here is where I will showcase the COs that I have designed, or GOOD COs that
have been created by others. These ARE NOT and will probably never be real COs
that can be used in game.

***First of all, my persona as an AW2 CO:***

Jax Omen
Age: 18
Army: Black Hole
Description: Lash's boyfriend. Also excels at using terrain to his advantage.
Hobbies include Video Games, Anime, Lash, and Food.
Hit: Lash, Video Games, Anime, Food
Miss: Sports, Exercise
Victory Quote: "That CO sucks in the manner of a hoover vacuum."
              "j00 r pwned!"
Strengths: Deals full damage to enemy units regardless of enemy terrain.
Weaknesses: Gets 2 stars less defense from terrain. Can be negative.
****OOOOOO
CO Power: Siege Tactics: Doubles defensive terrain effects for all allied COs
(including Jax, and doubling comes before star loss) (does NOT stack with Prime
Tactics).
SCO Power: Unbreakable Siege: Doubles Terrain bonus for all allied players
(including Jax, and doubling comes before star loss)(stacks with Prime Tactics).
Makes enemy terrain bonuses negative.
Quote: "Someone set up us the bomb!"
      "If you wish to taste the ground, feel free to attack me!"
      "Even forever must come to an end."

Then: my other COs i've made ^_^

***Yellow Comet CO: Entrepreneur***

A japanese business man who has experience with mergers.

Hit: Stock rising
Miss: Black Tuesday
Victory Quote: "You should have invested better!"
Strengths: gets double money when units join. joined units gain +2 health
extra from merger (+2 does not convert to funds). Gets extra cash from cities
(and only cities) based on number of cities owned (50 G per city, so 10 cities
would get 1500 G per day, EACH)
Weaknesses: since he is a businessman and not a warrior, all units have -20%
attack/defense.
**OOOO
CO Power: Monopoly
Description: Enemies cannot build units for one turn (does not affect allies)
SCO Power: Corporate Politics
Description: Enemies cannot build units for one turn. Steals 750G from each
enemy player for every city they own (so if an enemy has 10 cities it steals
7500G from them).
Quote: "Yes, I'll buy that. What does it do?"

Name: Zakas
Gender: Male
Age: ?? (appears to be in early twenties)
Element: Shadow
Description: Little is known about this ninja. What is known about him is
that he has no known enemies. No data on abilities, or previous missions.
Subject is enigmatic, and has left signs of his prescence in few habitations.
Subject's whereabouts are currently unknown.
Weapon of Choice: Unknown, but assumed to be the blade Kisagi, which was
stolen at the only recorded sighting of Zakas.
Risk Rating: A+
Strengths: Any of his units on any of his properties hide, just like they
would in forests, whether or not FOW is enabled. (well, he is a ninja)
Weakness: Units on roads can be seen in FOW regardless of enemy vision.
COP Guage: ****OOO
COP: Village of Mist: All units count as "hidden" for this turn, regardless
of what terrain they are on, unless on roads, in which case they are visible
regardless.
SCO: Shinobi's Honor: All units count as "hidden" for this turn, regardless
of what terrain they are on. Anytime an enemy unit is "trapped", Zakas' unit
shoots it, with no counter attack. (if possible, obviously. We can't have
bombers shooting fighters or something stupid like that ^_^)
Quotes:
"Time flows like a river, and history repeats"
"The path of a Shinobi is fraught with peril. Do not take me lightly."

Name: Damaskas
Age: 19
Gender: Male
Country: Blue Moon
Bio: Left to die at a young age by his parents, Damaskas soon learned to live
in the wild. He learned that the best defense is a good offense. Survival in
the snowy wastes of Blue Moon required him to hunt for food. When he was 17,
he was found by Olaf, who recognized potential in him, and took him in. After
a year of military training, Damaskas became a fully-fledged CO. However, he
still lives by his mantra of good offense. He doesn't get along well with Grit,
because of Grit's laid-back personality.
Hit: Olaf, Violence, Chess
Miss: Grit, Defense
Quote: "Defense? Ha! I don't need defense!"

Strength: All units deal +1 damage (meaning an infantry deals 1hp to a Md Tank,
guaranteed, for example)(Does not apply to counterattacks)
Weakness: All units TAKE +1 damage (does not apply to counterattacks)

***OOO
COP: All units deal an additional +1 damage.
SCO: All units deal an additional +2 damage.
COP/SCO Quote: "I won't give you a chance to attack!"


***From: Feel The Burn***

Aaron
Army: Orange Star
Description:
Formerly of White Nova. Joined Orange Star to get away from his past. Hates the
sky and believes that man was not meant to fly. Seems to have a grudge against
Eagle, who he is a distant cousin of. AA units are frighteningly strong.
Hit: Cloudy Days
Miss: Beautiful Weather
Victory Quote: "One day, mankind will realize that the sky is not their
                 territory."
              "You've been grounded!"
Strengths: All AA units (Fighters, Missiles, Cruisers, A-Airs) get 20% boost in
attack and defense.
Weaknesses: The rest of his air force and any units that cannot fire on either
planes or copters (Subs, Battleships, Rockets, Artillery) gets 10% decrease in
both attack and defense.
***OOOOO
CO Power: Grounding
All units that can fire on planes or copters (except AA) get 10% increase in
firepower and all air units (including his own) take 1 HP of damage.
SCO Power: Air Disrupter
All units that can fire on planes or copters (including AA) get 20% increase in
firepower and all air units (except his own) cannot take orders in the next turn.
CO Power Quotes: "I will make the sky fall upon you!"
                "Hear that? That's the sound of your planes hurtling out of
                the sky!"

Calvin
Army: Blue Moon
Description:
An expert on explosives. He spends time in his workshop desiging cannons with
extreme firepower. All of his units with cannon weapons are stronger.
Hit: Bombs
Miss: Guns
Victory Quote: "Ya look like ya hate da taste o' my cannons!"
              "I've just blasted ya over the horizon!"
Strengths: All non-air units with "cannon" weapons (Tanks, Md Tanks, Neotanks,
Battleships) and "explosive" weapons (Rockets, Missiles, Mechs) get 10% power
increase (ONLY when using the primary weapons, in this case). Also, all units
with "cannon" and "explosive" weapons will do 40% more damage on pipes.
Weaknesses: Counterattacks are extremely weak. Also, if firing upon a unit
that is the same as the one you are using to fire (ex. Md Tank vs. Md Tank),
the damage will be calculated w/o power bonus (except when CO or SCO powers
are used).
****OO
CO Power: Cannonball
All "cannon" units (listed above) receive 10% increase in power, and the
power bonus is calculated into the damage.
SCO Power: Blast Barrage
All "cannon" AND "explosive" units get 20% power boost and movement for
these units is increased by 1. Counterattacks return to normal strength for
the duration of the use of the power.
CO Power Quotes: "Can you take this blast?"
                "You'll be engulfed in my cannon fire!"


***From: Joshua Soedjono (I don't know gamefaqs name)***

Joshua Soedjono
Age: 14
Army: Green Earth
Description: He could have the powers of a random Green Earth CO(except
himself) for a day.
Hit: Video Games
Miss: Black Hole
Victory Quote: You are not a good CO.
Strengths: They can vary.
Weaknesses: They can vary.
*****OOOOOOO
CO Power: Power of Green Earth
Description: He can use a random Green Earth CO Power.
SCO Power: Power of Wars World
Description: He can use a random CO power.
Quote: "I, Joshua, shall knock you all down".



***From: Ababy***

Black Hole Co: Daedalus
A brilliant scientist, architect, and soldier. He is devoted to new things,
upgrading old toys (i.e. soldiers, weapons, cities) into giant monsters.
Seems to hate Lash and Hawke.
Hit: getting cities to tinker with.
Miss: his commander-in-chief (Hawke), for the taking of his most precious
works. Also, having Lash steal all his design plans and claiming that it's
hers (he can't complain, her hit is getting what she wants).

Pros: his units are all 125/115
Cons: He gains less money from properties than any other CO, getting only 85%
of the cities' funds (the rest go to the modifying the cities).

Co bar: oooooOOOO
CO: He may automatically change two cities that are closest to the front lines
into any type (random) of property he wants (i.e. base, airport (only if air
units are usable on the map), seaport (only if the city is touching the sea),
or a city :p) for two turns.
SCO: He may change three cities instead of two, along with a 20/20 power up.


Black Hole CO: The Rahn

Sturm's first prototypes in making robot COs, the Rahn were very reliable. They
were the ones that hlped Sturm conquer enough land to finance and invasion. But
once Sturm built robot Andy, they were descarded. They were renewed by Hawke's
command, and are now extremely loyal to him, though now their power fluctuates
due to prolonged inactivity.

Hit: None
Miss: None

Pros and Cons: This is one of those math based COs again. This one's power is
based on the equation y = 30(sin300x). If you get what stats he will get, then
good for you. If not, it means they have around +25% attack for two turns,
turns to zero for one turn, drops to -25% attack for the next two turns,
returns to 0 in the next turn...you get the picture, it repeats.

Co Power bar: oooooOO
COP: Unwavering Loyalty
All units gain +20 attack and all opponents' units take 1 damage.

SCOP: Sturm's fist
Creates a 5x5 fist of Sturm and oes 4 damage to any it hits. Also turns the
equation y = 30(sin300x) into y = -30(sin300x).

Quote:
"damage at critical mass...Power...initiate"
"No...humans...have ever beaten us...initiate"

Victory Quote:
"....."


***From: Terragent***

Name: Ray
Faction: Blue Moon
A solar-powered wonder! Ideally he should be wearing dark glasses and a
Hawaiian shirt, and he should be with Blue Moon so that Grit can call him
'Sunshine'. (ie, the way he calls Olaf 'Frosty'.)
Hit: Sunblock cream
Miss: Dark skies
Quote: 'Rejoice in the beauty of daylight!'
Advantages: All non-infantry units get +10% firepower whenever weather is
'clear'. Disadvantages: All non-infantry units get -10% firepower and -1
movement whenever weather is snow or rain.
***OOOO
CO Power: Heatwave - Weather is set to clear. All non-infantry units get
+1 movement.
SCO Power: Sunstroke - Weather is set to clear. All non-infantry units get +1
movement. All enemy and allied units (but not his own) get -10%
firepower and defense and -1 movement.
Power quote: 'Live with the heat - it's here to stay!'
Win quote: 'Looks like another fine day!'



***From: King9999***

Murdock – Nature-lover
Strength: 80/100
Skills: Murdock’s units aren’t affected by terrain or weather effects. Units
get +1 star on all terrain except man-made terrain (properties, roads, etc.).

CO Power: Force of Nature
Depending on the terrain the enemy units are standing on, different effects
occur for 1 day:
Plains: Grass suddenly becomes taller. Movement cost is increased by 2
Trees: Non-aircraft units are trapped by vegetation and cannot move or attack.
Mountains: Non-aircraft units are killed by falling rocks.
Sea: Sea units are thrown off course, and sent to a random direction when
the player tries to move them.
All other terrain: stays the same

Super CO Power: Nature’s Assistance
For 1 day, Murdock’s units are strengthened depending on the terrain they’re
standing on:
Trees: Units are given 3HP
Mountains: +50% offense to non-air units
Sea: Powerful waves give +2 Move to all sea units
Plains: Grass becomes very tall, making units harder to target; all non-
aircraft units get 5-star defense.
River: Vehicles can cross them. If a unit ends its turn on a River, then it’s
immediately destroyed.

Hit: Nature
Miss: Destruction of nature
Quote: “Why am I in the army when I love nature? That’s a good question.”



***From: Lord Lizard***

MEL & MAY

BIO: The two princes of White Quasar, they have quite opposed personalities.
The serious Mel is always quiet and thoughtful, while the active May likes to
rush into battle destroying everything in her path. The twins like to be
independent and to take part in the battles, much to their father's discomfort.
When in battle, they both fight as one.
DESC: They both are blonde and wear militar clothing. Not much to be said,
because they don't wear anything out of the usual...

Ok. This CO is different from the others, because they are like two COs in one.
The player starts playing with Mel, but you can switch to May using their CO
Powers.

PROS:
-Mel has got +20% defense and gets a +1 range for indirect units.
-May gets +20% attack and +1 movement range.

CONS:
-Mel gets -20% attack and -1 movement range.
-May gets -20% defense and -1 range for indirect units.

CO Power metter:
ooOOOO

CO POWER: Charge Switch
Their units are now 120/120 units. No change is made about the movement or
attack range. If Mel was in charge, he switches to May, who starts playing in
the next turn, and vice-versa.

SCO POWER: Twin Attack
Their units are now 140/140. They also have +1 movement and +1 range for
indirects. Mel & May also switch in this Power.

Hit: Having fun
Miss: Homework
"Two against one isn't fair... Too bad!"
(Mel starts the quote, May ends it. This is what they usually do, except
when they start to speak the exact same thing at the same time, which makes
they look like freaks :P).


***From: Incubus***

CO: Spider

Bio: An expert at deception, Spider uses terrain to obscure his units and set
up ambushes. He relies on the element of surprise to do as much damage as
possible to the opponent.

Hit: Ambushes
Miss: Open spaces

Abilities: Spider excels at close-quarters fighting. His units are concealed in
FoW while they are in cities/ports/bases/HQs/mountains in addition to Reefs and
forests. His units are 110/110 when located in those terrain types and the
opponent cannot see their health. He is weak in open combat and his units are
80/80 when they are in plains, shoals, roads, rivers, or open sea. Indirects
have -1 range when in open terrain.

CO stars: OOOOOooo

CO Power: Conceal- Units in concealable terrain cannot be revealed by enemy
units adjacent to them; they can only reveal the unit if they get 'ambushed'.
This also applies to submerged submarines.

CO Super Power: Ambush- Same as CO power but any unit that gets 'ambushed'
automatically loses 3 HP (doesn't destroy units though).


Name: Smiley

Quote: Be there in a jiffy!

Ability: Smiley is a transport expert. His transports (APC, Lander, Cruiser,
T-Copter) are 100/120 and have +1 movement, and can carry 1 additional type
of unit. So a T-copter/APC can carry 2 infantry, a cruiser can carry 3
helicopters, and a lander can carry 3 land units. Non-transport units have -1
movement.

CO Bar: ooOOO

CO Power: Leapfrog- All transports get an additional +1 movement and +20%
defense.

CO Super power: Amphibious Assault- All transports get an additional +2
movement and +30% defense. In addition, any units that started the turn in a
transport may take their full action after disembarking (a B-copter coming
out of a cruiser may move and attackon the same turn during the SCO power.
Infantry can disembark from an APC and capture a city.)

The idea behind this CO is on a map with islands or just a lot of open space,
Smiley can rapidly move infantry around, and they are protected by his high
defense transports.On island maps, Smiley can use his CO power to emulate a
D-day style invasion by being able to move a tremendous amount of units on an
island and attack the defenders on the same turn, making it hard for them to
do anything beyond blocking. His transports have such high defense bonuses
that even Kanbei would have trouble sinking them.



***From: axiomnightmare***

Kyle
Army: Green Earth
Description: Kyle is an expert transporter that is skilled at moving objects.
However, he is not physically strong. He is dressed in a postal workers uniform
and is holding a clipboard.
Pros: All of Kyle's transport units get +1 movement range and +20% defense.
In addition, if one of his transport units is destroyed, the unit inside will
take the transport units place if possible.
Cons: All of Kyle's non-transport units get -10% attack.
CO meter ***XXXXX
CO power:Express Delivery: All of Kyle's transport units that have already been
deployed can move again.
SCO power:Lightning Shipping: All of Kyle's transports and all units that can
be transported that have been deployed can move again.
Strategies: With Kyle, you have to get off to a good early start and capture
as much as you can with your infantry with your improved transports. You should
save up for his SCO power as all ground units and copters basically get a second
turn. Remember, cruisers also count as transports, so they are super powerful
and can be exploited.
"Hurry up! These have to arrive right away."
"I'll make sure these get there on time."


***From: Evil Demon Creature***

Name: Andrew
Country: Yellow Comet
Description: A recent engeneering graduate, he uses this skill to make the most
of his army, Unfortunatley, with his skill at making things simple, he has
trouble handling large numbers though.
Hit: Chess
Miss; Trading Card Games

Stregnths: He is able to "join" units that are at full health. When they join,
the joined unit has 120/120 stregnth, and the rest is converted into funds (70%
cash) *units joined this way can't join this way again*
Weakness: If his army is bigger than the opponents, (more units) then his units
get a -10/-10 penalty (normal units are 90/90, joined units are 110/110)

COP: **** Split Focus: His army gets +200/+200 divided evenly, among each of
his units. (ex, if there are 10 units, they are 120/120 each, if there are 20,
they are 110/110 each)+
SCOP: ****000 Logic Matrix: His army gets +400/+400 divided evenly, among each
of his units. (if he has 8 units, they become 150/150, if there are 40 units,
they each become 110/110)+

+theese examples are used for units not "joined",(100/100 default) joined units
would get be the same bonus, but with the +20/+20 "joined" bonus tacked on.

Quotes:
"You have my attention,"
"It's not as complicated as it looks"
"This situation is too complex, let me simplify..."
Win
"It's as simple as that!"
Loss
"You just HAD to compicate things..."


Name: Evil Demon Creature

Description: A very mysterious man who wraps himself up in sheets and hides
behind a mask. His outlook on life is odd to say the least, and some say it
is projected on the battlefield.
Hit: Chaos
Miss: Conventionalists

Stregnths: When he uses the "delete" command on a unit, he gets half the units
"worth" back in cash, the other half will go towards his COP meter. (Example,
if he deletes a 10 hp mech, he'll get 1500$, if he deletes a 4 hp infantry,
he'll only get 200$)
Weakness: None ( I mean really! Do you think such a lame ability constitutes
for a weakness to balance it out?)

COP: **** Dimensional Rift: Half of his unit's damage gets converted into
cash, and when he deletes units, he gets 100% of their worth. (Ex, a neotank
kills one of his infantry, he'll gain 500$ from it)

SCOP: ****000 Reality Break: Same as dimentional rift, except each of his
land units work like a base, each of his sea units work like a port, and each
of his air units work like an airport.
(How it works: After he moves a unit, the fire/wait screen shows up like
normal, except the build screen is right below it You scroll down past wait
to pick a unit to build. When you do, the old unit is destroyed in favor of
the new unit (you gain cash as if you used the "delete" command on the old unit)

Quotes
"......"
"Can you belive it? You shouldn't"
"Hah! HaH! HAh! hAH! HaH! hAh! HAH!"
"I make them more valuable, yet make them easier to kill... Ironic..."



***From: TealTerror***

Name: Alex

Country: Black Hole? (seems to be, but there's something about him...)

Description: Modest-looking man who looks to be in his 20s. Short black hair,
with an aqua T-shirt and white pants. Blue eyes.

History: Rose up in the ranks of Orange Star quickly, but then betrayed her
(in reference to Orange Star) for Black Hole. Other than that, he's a mystery.

Personality: A scientist well above the current level. He has actually managed
to invent killer lasers. However, he's not a warrior, so his units have less
attack than normal.

Advantages: CO and SCO power have few stars for what they do.

Disadvantages: Units have -10% attack and defense.

COP: Laser Storm - Deals 1 damage to all enemy units.

SCOP: Laser Grid - Deals 2 damage to all enemy units and, for every 3 spaces
they move, they take an additional 1 damage.

Power Gauge: xxXXXX

CO Power Quotes:
-Behold the wonders of technology!
-The technology of the future, now!
-(CO power only) An artificial storm is more powerful than a real one.
-(SCO power only) Let's hope you don't like to move...hehe...

Victory Quote: And science wins again!

Defeat Quote: I seem to have miscalculated...

Hit: Technology
Miss: Battle
Quote: "Lasers are the next level of technology"



***From: GAMEingperson***

Aaron
Country: The U5 of 4
Bio: Grew up on a far off continent unknown to current geography of Cosmo Land.
He and his friends took over the primary ruling body of their land at the
prodigal age of 15, after really, really not wanting to wake up at 6 o'clock
in the morning for high school. Despite his constant cries of "I ****ing hate
you all!" to his friends, he remains begrudgingly compassionate with a
conscience that "is going to kill me one of these days".
Looks: After "l33tinizing" the ruling body of his world, he got himself a camo
vest and camo pants. He cut his hair short and had himself a custom-made
Buster Sword, much to the protest of everyone willing to sue on the behalf of
Final Fantasy. He carries himself with a tone of being unable to accomplish
something, but gets pumped when he can pull it off. He is caucasion, and has
dark brown hair. No one has ever admitted to seeing his eyes through his dark
sunglasses.
Hit: Puzzles
Miss: Slow internet
"God, I hate you guys..."

Skills: Aaron's unit strengths are based on the Power and Technique scores
that you have. As he does well, he gains confidence he usually doesn't get
with his friends. If he isn't doing well, he thinks is friends are right and
gets weakened. At the beginning of the game, strength is 100%/100%. If Power
is perfect, Aaron has 120%/120% stats. If power is 99 to 80, all units are at
110%/110%. 79 to 60%, units are normal. 59 to 40, units are 90%/90%. Under that,
they're 80%. Technique scores give a "luck factor". With perfect technique,
Aaron has a chance of doing +2 points of damage. With 99 to 80 Technique, he
can do +1. At 79 to 60, he has the chance of doing +1 OR a chance of -1
(basically Flak). At 59 to 40, units are normal. At 39 and under, units have
a chance to do -2 points of damage.

**OOOO
CO Power: Keep on Rolling
All of Aarons units are considered to have perfect power and technique for
this turn. For those of you too lazy to look up, it results in all units
having 120%/120% stats and a possibility to do an additional +2.
SCO Power: Ready to Rumble.
Triples all bonuses AND penalties for Power and Technique. This can result
in units having 160%/160% stats and the possibility to do an extra +6 points
of damage. Or, it can result in your units being pathetically weak at 40%/40%
with a chance for -6 points. Use with caution.
CO quotes:
"Gotta keep on rolling..."
"LLLLEEEEEEEEEEET'S GET READY TO RRRRRRRRUUUUUUUUUUMBLE!"
"Remind me why I'm doing this again?"
"I can do this! Watch!"
"I'm a lousy listener anyway. Let's boogie!"
"Ugh, I hate you guys. I'm stepping in."
Victory Quote:
"That's it. Hail to the king, baby."




15) COMPLETION
--------------

Need quotes for most of the COs
Need more CO rants
Need more Created COs
Need more advice for VS games
Input? What do you think of my guide?


16) CLOSING
-----------
I probably have lots of spelling errors in here to fix...
Anyway, email comments, questions, or input to me at
[email protected]. Please put "AW2 Tactics" in the subject line, so I know
what you are talking about.

Also, please note that spelling errors in anything labeled as being from
anyone else ARE NOT MY FAULT. Those errors were created by the people who sent
in the information. The only thing I did to those messages is format them to
the 79 character per line limit for Gamefaqs. Of course, any errors outside
the quotes (or labeled with "Jax:") are mine. So I'm not perfect. Oh well...

Oh, if anyone has any ASCII art for the top of the guide, I would appreciate
it. You will, of course, be credited. My ASCII art sucks really bad...



17) THANKS
----------

Thanks to CjayC for running the best gaming site ever, GameFaqs!
Thanks to Intelligent Systems for making AW2!
Thanks to Nintendo for publishing this great game!
Kudos to ShadowFF6 for great unit and CO tactics, and most of the damage
    chart info!
Thanks to Psychotic Guy for his tip to "leapfrog" APCs, and finding out how
    much G each star is worth in the CO Power guage!

Good luck, and have fun playing AW2!!!

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