The Earthsiege / Starsiege universe meets turn-based hex-
map tactical combat in this excellent title. It gave
Earthsiege fans a taste of BattleTech-style combat instead
of the first-person sims Sierra had focused the brand on.
Gamers almost universally preferred this to the sequel,
Cyberstorm 2: Corporate Wars, which tried to introduce
real-time combat rather unsuccessfully and lacked whatever
plot focus the original had; it also eliminated the hex-
based map in favor of a more "open" RTS-like map.
Speaking of Cyberstorm's plot, on behalf of the Unitech
Mining Corporation, it's your job to boot the Cybrids from
a number of mineral-rich systems. There are monetary
rewards for meeting objectives and killing Glitches
(Cybrids, the soulless mechanical enemy, also known as
'Brids). You do have to take occasional detours for routine
mining duty to build up the credits to buy new HERCs (HERCs
are your robots / mechs / etc., there are no tanks) and
better weapons. Of course, nothing's routine when the
Cybrids are involved... The ultimate goal is weighty
enough: assault a Cybrid homeworld. You do advance through
the ranks and gain access to ever-better technologies, but
your pilots aren't humans - they're Bioderms, pseudo-clones
that die within a few years. You'll get access to more
skilled (and longer-lived) 'Derms as you advance in rank.
Graphics are excellent and the Zoom feature really shows
off the terrain detail. Sound effects are adequate, and
despite what some reviewers thought, there is music, both
ambient background music (looped) and a handful of great
redbook CD audio tracks - not as many as a MechWarrior 2
game, so they do get repetitive, but they're good. [Since
the entire game can be installed to and played from the
hard drive, my suspicion is these reviewers played pirated
or "borrowed" copies.]
Unit customization is excellent, very similar to
Starsiege's limited weapon mounts and chassis
specialization. Pilots can also be trained in various
skills. The Instant Action mode works well. The Campaign
isn't really a Campaign as such, since it's almost
completely open-ended - the only scripted missions are the
single "Elite Military" missions at the end of every
System, but before fighting those you can choose from an
unlimited number of unscripted missions of various types
like Mine Ore, Defend an Installation, Reconnaissance,
Secure the Area, and Quick Assault.
The game was released in patched and unpatched versions;
there are no major bugs to speak of, but the patch does
make the gameplay more challenging and more convenient at
the same time.
BIODERMS
HERCS are useless without pilots, but the pilots you have
available are more like bipedal plasma-jelly AIs than
anything human: you can train them, and they do gain
experience in combat, but in an average game they will die
of old age, not enemy fire. Useless Bioderms (there aren't
many) can be "recycled" for credits, but their screams echo
rather gruesomely.
Occasionally when you rise in rank you are given a special
Bioderm. It counts toward your total allotment, but they're
almost always better than anything you currently have.
Guard these special pilots well; they tend to live longer
than the base models and that's always your major concern.
It's almost not worth training any of the basic ones (Model
001 and Model 010) - just save your money and buy a better
one when the current one "expires". Each of the special
Bioderms tends to have an area of expertise – energy
weapons, piloting, etc., so make sure you allocate them
properly.
As special Bioderms you'll eventually get some real gems
like Tola, Kaesar (cheat: rename any Bioderm "Kurosh"
without the quotes, they turn into Kaesar!), Tarsus (put
him in a Giant early on), and Ma Yuan, plus Maia the
Missile Baby (Stick him/her in a Reaper with triple Hunter-
Killer Plus missile packs) and Mentor, The Brain In A Jar
(don't ask).
Make sure to read all the briefings and news reports when
you attain a new rank. They do a good job of filling in the
plot and they give great insights into Bioderms'
personalities.
Yes, as a special Bioderm you'll also get Boto. Yes, Boto
is a monkey. A genetically altered chimpanzee, actually. He
has good piloting skills and learns quickly - train him 2-3
times in Piloting then stick him in a stripped-down Shadow
or an equipped-for-evasion Sensei; he makes a fair scout or
raider, if you can stop laughing long enough to use him.
How to make a Boto Bomb: stick Boto in a Sensei or Shadow
with a self-destruct device or a HOG Missile and charge a
line of Nihilus or Turrets. What a hideous sound... Want to
hear it again? Add the "Boto Bombs Anyone?" cheat code to
your CSTORM.INI file (without quotes, and add it under the
[SometimesHandyOptions] section), and every Derm can be
bought, including Boto. Over and over and over…
WEAPONS
There are two main factors you have to consider when
equipping your HERCs with new weapons: balancing weapon
energy requirements vs. reactor output, and balancing
weapon effects vs. shields with weapon effects vs. armor.
--Balance: Energy Use
Each weapon uses X amount of energy per shot. Your HERC's
reactor stores some energy and generates a little more each
round to replace used energy. If you use your stored energy
for firing, you won't have any left over for shield
regeneration or movement. Meaning, keep in mind that "most
expensive weapon" doesn't always mean "best suited for this
chassis". For example, the Giant is meant to be a
ballistic-weapon support platform, firing cannons and other
physical / kinetic guns with very low energy usage. A Giant
packing 2 SHPGs, 2 MPGs, and 2 90mm ACs (great guns but
total energy hogs) will only be able to fire a full
broadside for one round; the next few rounds will be spent
recharging, since its reactor can't keep up. Add up the
Energy Cost to Fire listed for each weapon you mount, and
make sure to double/triple/etc. that number for weapons
with multiple shots. If the total Energy Cost to Fire for
all weapons (fired the max number of times per round) is
greater than your Reactor Rating, you've got a problem, or
at least a one-shot wonder.
--Balance: Shields vs Armor
The Earthsiege/Starsiege universe is almost unique in that
its HERCs have not only armor but shields as well. Energy-
based weapons (lasers, plasma, beams) wreck shields while
kinetic weapons (bullets, shells, explosives) chew through
armor. Sometimes the AI will react to incoming fire (in the
patched version, this takes place during any Opportunity
Fire) by rotating its shields to face the incoming shots.
Luckily, every HERC in the game carries a balanced mix of
energy and kinetic weapon hardpoints. The Reaper in
particular has the loveable hardpoint #6, which can accept
the best lasers or the best missiles in the game - I
usually finish most of the game using a horde of Reapers
mounting 3 HK+ missiles and 3 SP1200 Pulse lasers. The
cardinal rule is the same as in any other Earthsiege
Universe title: drop their shields first and only then fire
armor-eating weapons, since even a tiny amount of shielding
will protect the unit underneath from almost all physical
damage.
Note that later in the game you'll get more and more
weapons that do both - plasma guns, neutron weapons, 90mm
Autocannons, particle guns, and more. Most of these are bad
ideas, since 2 specialized weapons will usually outperform
4 do-everything weapons. Example: Target A has 200 shields
and 200 armor, so you'll need 400 total points of damage to
kill it. Attacker One has two EMP Beamers (200+ shield
damage each) and two HK Missiles (200+ armor damage each);
Attacker Two has four Particle Beam Weapons (PBWs, 100
shield/100 armor damage each). Attacker Two uses 2 PBWs to
drop Target A's shields and the other 2 to destroy its
armor. That assumes all 4 PBWs hit - if any of them miss,
then Target A lives to fire back. Attacker One uses 1 EMP
Beamer to drop Target A's shields and 1 HK Missile to kill
it. It could actually kill a pair of Target A if all its
weapons hit, and if one misses, it always has a backup.
These half-and-half weapons do come in handy if you need an
extra armor-defeater or shield-dropper and don't have an
appropriate weapon slot open, i.e., you have a Demon with 4
energy hardpoints but only 2 missile hardpoints - you may
need to do more armor damage than 2 missiles can provide,
and a Demon has no cannon slots, so you might consider
packing a PBW, Neutron Beam, Heavy Plasma, or the like for
some extra anti-armor punch. All this changes, of course,
when Compression Blasters and Pulse Lasers appear - they
perform all direct-fire roles exceptionally well, and can
reliably kill unshielded opponents even without ballistic
and missile support (though dedicated armor-defeaters come
in handy against Cybrids with massive armor, like the
Nihilus).
There are also two special weapon types you might like to
know about:
--Penetrating Damage
Penetrating damage skips the shield entirely and directly
damages the HERC underneath. Most cannons and missiles do
at least some penetrating damage (though not the half-and-
half versions), and there are weapons that are purely
Penetrating, like the ELF series and the Thermal Needler.
The "pure" penetrators are great on their own. ELFs work
best on fast movers - try an Ogre built for speed and
mounting a rack of Chain ELFs and Auto ELFs. Needlers need
large numbers of firing platforms, such as a squad of
Juggernauts or Reapers, to be effective. ELFs can kill
Cybrids that get too close to your lines, but needlers can
take too long to kill a heavily-armored Cybrid at range.
Other weapons like Autocannons (ACs), Devastators, HEAPs,
and most missiles do at least some damage to the armor even
if shields are intact. They do enough Penetrating damage
that a few shots can usually kill an opponent in the orange
or red even if their shields are intact. Some tiny
opponents like a fully-shielded Verminus or an early-
generation Specter can be killed outright by Penetrating
damage.
Don't get carried away with penetrating damage; take the
Giant as an example. Since it carries no true energy
weapons, the Giant is almost helpless against shielded
opponents without some kind of backup. The half-and-half
weapons it can mount like 100mm Chain ACs, Electroflechette
cannons, and Particle Guns do minimal shield damage and are
meant to help out, not fight on their own. It can support
other units and kill the occasional Verminus, but don't
think for a second that it can take on a Hades or Nihilus
by itself while counting on a lucky penetrating shot.
--Area Effect
There are a number of area-effect weapons in Cyberstorm of
two types, Mortars and Missiles. Energy Mortars are very
useful little items, and the represent the only real reason
to bring Giants into the later missions. A Giant mounting 4
Fusion or Plasma mortars can take down the shields of a
group of enemies from a considerable distance, and with the
Patch can use them with wonderful effectiveness during
Opportunity Fire. The Fusion and Plasma mortars are by far
the most useful of the bunch, since the other mortars
suffer the same problem as the area-effect missiles: damage
isn't guaranteed to be applied to a dropped shield. ELF
Mortars are an exception and are quite nice when combined
with Thermal Needlers, but the units that can mount them
would do better to mount Needlers instead.
As mentioned before, area-effect missiles like the
Saturation and Katyusha are theoretically nice but they
rely on having a large number of enemies grouped closely
together, each with multiple shields down. This happens so
rarely that you're always much better off taking standard
missiles like HKs, SGs, etc.
HERCS
Balance your force on each and every mission. The same
force should suffice for every mission type (mining,
defense, elite military, etc.) with only minor
modifications. Remember that you are allowed a limited
number of HERCs at any one time, so think carefully how you
want to play.
I tend to keep a single dedicated scout of the best type
available (Shadow or Sensei), fully upgraded and with an
appropriate pilot. Once I'm allowed 15-20 units I may take
two scouts. With EMP Beamers and good missiles, they can
certainly contribute to a firefight while scouting.
I also keep one or two dedicated ballistic-support Giants
around for the first half of the game. With HPG guns
mounted, they can be effective longer in the game but their
smaller reactors can't keep up with increasing energy
requirements of non-ballistic weapons. By the time they can
mount 120mm and 90mm ACs and Dragon guns, they can't keep
up with the front-line Reapers and Demons in terms of speed
or shielding. I know, I know, the argument goes "the Giant
is a support unit, it should always be behind the front
lines anyway". Unfortunately the Cybrids know tactics as
well and they're happy to target weakly-shielded support
units all day long. I might keep one around if Tarsus is
still alive.
Remoras and Ogres are decent units before the first Elite
Military mission, but they have limited upgrade options and
are quickly outclassed by Demons and later, Reapers. The
Ogre can be outfitted for ridiculous speed, and with a load
of Chain ELF units it's a great melee fighter, but its
shields are so weak that it can't stand even a round of
fire later in the game. It's too expensive to be
disposable.
Demons will form the core of your forces for much of the
middle game. They're an all-around balanced unit with no
glaring flaws. With only two missile slots you may want to
vary their loadouts – some with 4 energy and 2 missile,
some dropping a laser for an EMP Beamer, some dropping a
laser for a Particle Beam or Neutron Beam for versatility.
Otherwise you may end up with enemy units unshielded but
otherwise relatively undamaged. Demons remain useful later
in the game, as long as they let Reapers or Juggernauts
lead the charge.
Reapers will fill out your forces for the entire late game,
unless you save up to buy 20-30 Juggernauts. Reapers are a
blessed unit – they have 3 dedicated energy slots, 2
dedicated missile slots, and one slot that can hold either.
When HPGs are the mainstay energy weapon, Reapers generally
mount 4/2 energy/missile. Once Pulse Lasers become
available, half the Reapers can switch to 3/3
energy/missile. Occasionally I still mount a few with an
EMP Beamer or Fusion Annihilator for fun.
Juggernauts are in some ways inferior to Reapers, but they
have three major bonuses. First, they can mount two ELFs on
the shoulders. I never fire these, leaving them available
to take out pesky Verminus units during Opportunity fire.
Second, they're survivable. With the heaviest armor and
shielding in the game, they can survive ludicrous amounts
or punishment. They're not invincible, but with shield
modulators and shield amps they're nearly so. Lastly,
they're the only units that can carry super-weapons like
the ATN Autocannon. Juggernauts are also slow, huge targets
that draw fire like magnets.
For the record, all of the "special" HERCs that are
available (Shadow Ghost, Annihilator Juggernaut, etc.)
suck. Once they're available you can build a better machine
yourself by refitting a stock unit.
EQUIPMENT
Since there's no weight limit in Cyberstorm, have fun here.
I recommend 4 basic items in all HERCs: 1. the best
available nanorepair; 2. the best available jammer; 3. an
overdrive unit; and 4. either an antigravity unit or a
shield amplifier. At least one HERC needs an extractor if
it's a mining mission, of course - usually a high-capacity
one rather than a high-efficiency or low-energy one. See
the CHEATS section below for some not-really-cheating
options on not bothering with mining equipment. Note that
planetary conditions may dictate what you can carry: on
high-gravity (200%+) worlds, for instance, Antigravity and
Overdrive are both requirements for Juggernauts and
occasionally Reapers. I once took several stock
Annihilators (off-the-shelf Juggernauts) to the Cybrid
Homeworld just to fill up my ranks and was stunned to see
them completely immobile, unable to move thanks to the high
gravity. Nanorepair can keep your units active in the field
long after they would otherwise have been rendered useless
due to damage, and jammers reduce the enemy's chance to
hit. Jammers can be stacked for additional protection, if
you like.
MISSIONS
The missions in Cyberstorm are randomly generated so no
real walkthroughs exist, just general strategies. Available
missions in the HERC Command Center are split evenly
between Mining and Military missions, though you'll have to
defend yourself if you go prospecting and you can certainly
mine any available ore while hunting Glitches. Keep in mind
that you can continue on a map after the battle is done -
kill all the Cybrids on any map and you can hang around to
do some mining. In each system the final mission is a
dreadfully hard one referred to as an Elite Military
Mission, and completing it takes you to the next system.
These tips, though, should make each basic type much
simpler.
--Training
This is a simple exercise in using sensors, using cover,
and coordinating shield-damaging weapons vs. armor-damaging
weapons. Any HERC should do, though first-timers may want
to take a Remora instead of a Shadow just in case.
Somewhere on the battlefield is a single Mark 1 Cybrid
Light Turret. Sweep the area looking for it; when you find
it, duck for high cover or at least crouch and focus your
shields. Then rush in, fire energy weapons first, and
finish it off with cannons or missiles. Note that if you
use a cheat code to randomize the available missions, you
could end up with Training being an option even late in the
game, which makes for some quick and easy money. If you
know what you're doing, though, don't take this one; your
Bioderms only last a few years, and the month this takes
won't net any real useful money.
--Mine Ore
Mining is an unfortunately necessary chore, so be prepared
to do plenty of it. If you're in a hurry, bring at least
enough Extractor capacity to meet mission objectives and
let Unitech automine the rest (they'll keep a hefty
percentage). Late in the game, if you don't want to bother
with constant mining missions, you may consider adding the
$100000 cheat code or the Mine All Ore code - with the
latter, at least you have to fight your way through. Since
mining missions don't help advance your rank and the time
they take can leave Bioderms dead of old age, try to take
mining missions that provide the most money in the least
time: 1 month / 15000 credits is a better deal than 2
months / 20000 credits. If you kill all the Cybrids on a
mining map, Unitech will offer to automine the ore for you.
This is the only way to complete a mining mission without
packing any Extractors, and actually is an option if you're
the non-cheating type later on.
--Defend an Installation
You'll be given 1-3 installations (well shielded) to guard
against waves of incoming Cybrids. You can either eliminate
all the attackers or defend the buildings for a set number
of turns, usually 10-20. 'Brids will approach along a front
of roughly 60-90 degrees, so on Turn 1 just sit still,
Crouch if you want, and wait. When the attackers start
approaching you can mass your forces in that direction, and
you can even go scouting for them to take them out before
they get in firing range of the facilities. Leave 1 or 2
units on the opposite corners of the structures in case the
Glitches try an end run. Defend missions are much, much
easier earlier in the game, since weapon ranges are
shorter. Later on, when long-range Heavy Compression
Blasters and much-improved sensors are the rule, your
facilities are in almost immediate danger, and you may not
be able to kill the Brids in time.
--Reconnaissance
Here you must simply approach within a set distance (1-3
hexes) of a Cybrid installation and escape. You can of
course take a massive force and wipe out everything but
your target then just waltz up to it, but you can get some
easy promotions early on with a Shadow equipped for speed
and survival - dash up to the target then haul HERC in the
other direction before the defenders can organize. The
greatest threat here is usually the inconveniently placed
turrets, so make sure your fast mover loads enough shields
to survive 1-2 rounds of fire. If you try this mission
later in the campaigns, treat it like a base assault and
kill everything except the non-turret structures.
--Secure the Area
This is a simple seek-and-destroy mission. Sweep the area,
wiping out Cybrids as you go. They tend to cluster, so
don't advance beyond your support line and don't spread
your forces out too thinly - keep your scouts scouting.
These missions almost always end up in an exchange of
firing lines, a brutal melee.
--Quick Assault
Oh, these are fun! In an unpatched game, the Quick Assault
is a slaughter - you're dropped with no escape in the
middle of a horde of Cybrids, with every unit facing a
different direction. By "slaughter" I mean "you'll
slaughter the Brids", since only the patched version has
true Opportunity Fire. Typically every unit will be within
1-2 hexes of every other. Try to fire on units that are
facing the attacker so that all the fire can be
concentrated on a single shield - otherwise the defender
may turn to face you after a few shots, presenting an
untouched shield arc. Make sure to kill the Cybrids that
are in your midst before targeting those away from the main
formation. In the patched version, this mission is much
different - attacked Cybrids will quickly fire back on any
attacker, and even worse, any moving unit will be pounded
from all sides by Opportunity Fire. Just sit where you are
and kill what you can without moving.
--Destroy a Cybrid Base
Consider this practice for the Elite missions, and the same
advice applies: Scouts are an absolute necessity here,
since the enemy will almost always fire everything at max
range; if you can't see them, be prepared to sustain heavy
losses while charging into the dark. Always lead with your
heaviest units, keep the scouts close, crouch when you
stop, focus your shields whenever possible, and combine
fire to take down as many enemies as possible as quickly as
possible. Stay in a tight formation and don't spread into
more than 2 groups. Be aware that Cybrid buildings affect
Cybrid forces on the map! Command Centers increase Cybrid
hit probabilities, Manufacturing centers can build
additional Verminus units each round, etc. Do yourself a
favor, destroy them all, and fast.
--Elite Military
These missions are semi-scripted; the starting positions
are fixed and the enemy forces are predetermined, though
their responses aren't and the viewing angle can change
between replays (just rotate the viewing field). The 1.1
Patch makes the first Elite Military Mission a little
easier but makes the others harder. Scouts are again an
absolute necessity here, since the enemy will almost always
fire everything at max range; if you can't see them, be
prepared to sustain heavy losses while charging into the
dark. Always lead with your heaviest units (Demons or
Reapers early on, Juggernauts later), keep the scouts
close, crouch when you stop, focus your shields whenever
possible, and combine fire to take down as many enemies as
possible as quickly as possible. Essentially, you're using
all the skills you've perfected in all the other missions.
CHEATING
There are no built-in cheat codes, but the Patch actually
supplies several very useful options - after applying it,
check your new /DOC/ folder for CHEAT.TXT. Open up the
file CSTORM.INI (in your base Cyberstorm directory) with
Notepad, then cut-and-paste your choice of phrases from
CHEAT.TXT into CSTORM.INI at the bottom underneath
[SometimesHandyOptions]. Now restart the game and you'll
have several new menu options in combat and/or at the HERC
Base.
The game can be made tons and tons more convenient by
adding in all the non-cheat options. I personally get tired
of fighting mining mission after mining mission late in the
game, when my force is so overwhelming that the pathetic
Cybrid presence at the mining sites just can't reasonably
oppose me even on high difficulty. Plus, there's the bother
of refitting 15 or 20 HERCs with extractors, then undoing
it all over again when I need a combat mission. Once I
reach that point, I add in the "I Need More Wheat" code
just to save tedium, frustration, and time by getting free
the 100000 credits a mining mission with tons of Brids
would provide. That, or add the Mine All Ore cheat code
("Mine Your Own Business") and fight the mission like
normal; that way you still have to kill Brids but don't
have to refit 20 HERCs with 3-4 extractors each and then
back again every time.
Also, the "I Don't Like Those" code is nice when you've
fought 6 Secure the Area missions in a row and all the HERC
Command Center lists is 4 more - you legitimately want to
fight a mission, just not the same one over and over, and
this code randomizes the available missions for you.
FAQ HISTORY
V1.2 - 27 April 2005 – Removed Sierra's technical FAQ.
V1.1 - 22 March 2005 – Minor editing after I rescued this
from my original website's Fortunecity graveyard. I don't
update much, do I? Also, I just discovered that Cyberstorm
does not work under Windows 2000 or Windows XP. Bummer!
V1.0 - 27 February 2002 - The first version. This is the
second FAQ I've written entirely on my own (though I
rewrote a few for the early BattleTech and MechWarrior
games), and it's the first in a series I plan for Mecha /
Giant Robot games that never got their own guides and FAQs
- the first was for Starsiege.
FAQ TO-DO LIST
- Find out how high rank-wise you can rise in each system
without fighting the Elite Military mission.
THANKS
-Paul "Rot, you spoo-slurping fanhead!" Petersen for loving
giant robots almost as much as I do.
