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Battlezone Tips & Strategies

for Battlezone PC game by Activision
by Orlando C. Fernando (ocfernan@rochester.rr.com)
Version 4.0
Updated: July 9, 1999

This guide shows some tips, strategies from my war adventures in Battlezone.
This FAQ will grow as I gain more experience and receive any corrections. This
guide also will try to
explain how to do some fundamentals not explained or explained badly (in my
opinion) in the manual. :) Cheat tactics, mapmaking techniques, and advanced
software/hardware
troubleshooting are beyond the scope of this guide.

This guide assumes you are already familiar with Battlezone enough to play the
training missions and a few of the first planets missions. It also assumes you
have played in multiplayer a
few times and are familiar with "ping" and "lag". It is based on playing the
game with the 1.4 patch in Windows 95 with a Diamond Voodoo1 3dfx I card and the
large assets patch in
Windows 95 with a 3dfx Voodoo 3 2000 PCI card (although other patches will be
referenced in the guide).

UPDATE FROM 3.0: Large assets patch described; gamepad & music tips.
UPDATE FROM 2.0: Add-on maps and more multiplayer map and strategy tips.
UPDATE FROM 1.1: More multiplayer map tips.

This FAQ is also available at http://www.orlandofernando.com/bztips.html.

Table of Contents

1.Single Player Activity
1.1 How can I skip the cinematic videos during the missions?
1.2 Why don't I get all the vehicles as in the multiplayer with each mission?
1.3 Can I save the game during a mission?
1.4 Will these missions improve me for multiplayer?
1.5 What is Instant Action?
2.Multiplayer Activity in General
2.1 Why don't I get all the single player units in multiplayer?
2.2 What bizarre things happen in Battlezone with bad ping?
2.3 How do I talk to only one person on the text screens?
2.4 How do I talk during a live game?
2.5 How do I talk to only one person during a live game?
2.6 I get a "version mismatch" error when joining a game. Why?
2.7 I get an error of missing some strange file when joining a game. Why?
2.8 I get a "Can't join..." error when joining a game. Why?
2.9 If I leave a live game, can I come back?
2.10 I get "connection to game server lost" during a game periodically.
Should I exit?
2.11 How can I get new multiplayer maps?
3.Multiplayer Strategy Activity
3.1 Why is it called "strategy"?
3.2 How do I join forces (ally) with someone?
3.3 How do I break up with them (unally)?
3.4 What defense building units need geysers and what doesn't?
3.5 What buildings/structures need s-powers and what doesn't?
3.6 My gun towers/s-powers are destroyed too easily. How can I optimize them?
3.7: My scavengers and I are constant victims of minelayers/mine fields.
How can I cross them safely?
3.8 I heard a sudden rumble/thunder, but my base seems intact and I get no
warnings.
What happened?
3.9 I heard a sudden rumble/thunder, and suddenly I'm losing units left and
right!
What happened?
3.10 I host a game. What's the pro/cons of each of the hosting options?
3.11 My scavengers won't pick up anything! Why?
3.12 My scavengers report no more scrap. Is that really it?
3.13 I defeated all lives of an enemy, but his leftover units are still
around.
Don't they always blow up when he/she is done?
3.14 I joined a game and already no scrap is available! How can I survive?
3.15 I host a game and enter it. No one yet arrives.
What preparations could I do while waiting?
3.16 I left an empty vehicle near my barracks. Why won't a pilot come out to
use it?
3.17 Any tips for Corner Pocket?
3.18 Any tips for Purgatory?
3.19 Is there any general etiquette when playing strategy?
4.Multiplayer Deathmatch Activity
4.1 Why is it called "deathmatch"?
4.2 How do I join forces (ally) with someone?
4.3 My ship blew up. Where's my respawn vehicle when I land from an ejection?
4.4 Is every powerup in every map? Where are some of these powerups?
4.5 I can only pick pilots for some games. Why?
4.6 Any tips for Mar's Rally?
4.7 Any tips for Coliseum?
4.8 Any tips for Odin's Eye?
4.9 Any tips for Rings of Fire?
4.10 Any tips for PacMan DM (add-on map)?
4.11 Any tips for Titan Turmoil (add-on map)?
4.12 Is there any general etiquette when playing deathmatch?
4.13 What are some popular deathmatch variations?
5.Sniping
5.1 How exactly does this sniping work?
5.2 I can never snipe attempt in some of my games. Why?
5.3 I keep aiming and I can't successfully snipe a vehicle in multiplayer!
Why?
5.4 Am I ALWAYS subject to 3 bullets until my next life?
6.Weapons Tips
6.1 I can't use my gun in my turret/howitzer/eagle lander! Why?
6.2 I can't fire my image shadower/hornet. Why?
6.3 How do I use this Phantom VIR? Don't notice anything.
6.4 How do I use this RED Field? Don't notice anything.
6.5 How do I group weapon hardpoints/fire more than 1 weapon?
6.6 I get this bizarre sound when getting a powerup & can't get it. Why?
6.7 Things keep hitting me from above! What weapon is hitting me?
6.8 How do MITS mines work vs. M-Curtain mines?
7.Miscellaneous
7.1 What Battlezone directories should I backup?
7.2 What joystick configuration do you suggest for gamepads?
7.3 How do I get and use extra maps?
7.4 What is this large assets patch I hear about?
7.5 Can I play CD-ROM music while playing Battlezone?

Section 1: Single Player Activity

1.1: How can I skip the cinematic videos during the missions?

During the animations both at the beginning of a mission (when the narrator
speaks) and during any point in the middle of a mission, you can skip it by
hitting the ESC key once it starts.

1.2: Why don't I get all the vehicles as in the multiplayer with each mission?

It's the game creator's intention. If you pay attention to the cinematic videos
between missions along with the mission intro texts, they'll explain why you
only have the few mobile units you
are provided, especially in the early NSDF missions. Likewise for building
certain units (for example, you won't be able to build walkers until the NSDF
discovers the enemy walker
technology on Venus. Seems logical.)

1.3: Can I save the game during a mission?

Yes. The entire mission does not have to be complete in order for you to save
it. In fact, you could save the game just after the first few seconds of the
mission if you wanted to (including
during a battle). Just hit ESC to go to the SAVE GAME screens. This is where you
can also load an existing game if you feel you can't go on with the current one.
Bear in mind that when
you reload a previous game, the exact same situation does not always happen. For
example, on one reload, an enemy can suddenly attack from their base, while
another time, an enemy
may not attack for a few minutes. So be wary at what point in the game you want
to save. I do not advise saving in the middle of a battle.

1.4: Will these missions improve me for multiplayer?

Definitely. Several people advise beginners to play the first few missions (not
just the training exercises) before playing multiplayer. You will slowly get the
gist of using the different mobile
units and attacking the enemy as well as getting used to your
joystick/keyboard/mouse controls. You run no threat of enemies sniping you when
you destroy their vehicle. Also, some
enemies (including scavengers) don't exactly have the common sense to retreat
when you clearly outnumber and outgun them. You have less activity to deal with
at once. I highly advise to
listen to all the dialogues and read all the texts as they will go a long way in
explaining the purpose of many of the units. Many people also report (because of
some recon bugs in the
game) to turn strategy help off.

1.5: What is Instant Action?

Instant Action is another type of single player strategy which consist of only
one mission and likely several objectives. It is basically like playing one
normal single player mission. The retail
game itself, to my knowledge, does not provide any instant action scenarios.
However, you can download these add-on mission maps made by others. BzArmory 2
web site has a
handful among many other web sites. See section 7 for instructions on
downloading add-on maps.

Section 2: Multiplayer Activity in General

2.1: Why don't I get all the single player units in multiplayer?

Several of the units would be redundant for the multiplayer arena. The wind and
lightning powers are simply offshoots of the s-power. Field HQs are variants of
the supply units. Relics, of
course, have little use other than for design & aesthetics in multiplayer since
there are no recon missions. With the number of different units you need to
manage and operate, keeping the
units limited and simple is a micromanager's dream. :)

2.2: What bizarre things happen in Battlezone with bad ping?

An enemy with bad ping won't affect the activity of your vehicle and units, but
that of the enemy. Ships of players with bad ping will tend to stay in place and
go in circles then suddenly
disappear. You may suddenly see a walker in one spot then suddenly "zip" over to
another spot 50m away. If you fire at them with direct guns, damage may take
time to register on their
vehicles (assuming you actually hit them and not their "lag" appearance). Lock-
on guns (rockets and missiles) may be hard to lock onto someone and/or suddenly
lose their target upon
travel. I have had reports of high ping players also having trouble firing at
the other enemies. Stationary units, on the contrary, will stay in place. I
believe that when you attack them, their
damage still occurs quickly (can someone confirm this?). From my experience, I
can chat to a high ping player during a live game.

Chatting, however, may be affected when in the chat rooms. (Check to see if they
have a ping either very high or of zero, which could also be attributed to the
server performance.)
People usually ask high ping players in a game to exit and return, which
sometimes corrects it.

2.3: How do I talk to only one person on the text screens?

Select the person to talk to in the lower left box of people on-line. Type your
text in your chat box, then click on the W box underneath the people on-line
box.

2.4: How do I talk during a live game?

Hit the accent/tilde key (the key left of the 1 key on English keyboards) to
open a one-line chat box. Type away and hit ENTER to send.

2.5: How do I talk to only one person during a live game?

Hit the accent/tilde key (the key left of the 1 key on English keyboards) to
open a one-line chat box. Push the up or down arrow key to scroll through the
direct player or team to chat to.
Type away and hit ENTER to send. It will remember the last person you talked to
the next time you try to chat. To go back to chatting with everyone, use the
up/down arrow key to
select TO ALL the next time you chat.

2.6: I get a "version mismatch" error when joining a game. Why?

You don't have the same version of Battlezone as the person hosting that game.
As of this writing (Oct 14 98), version 1.4 is the most up-to-date patch
available for the game (1.5 for
some with certain configurations). I highly advise downloading the latest patch
from the web, as most hosters tend to always use the latest patch available. (If
you are upgrading from
1.31, be sure to uninstall the anti-cheat patch if you have one before
installing 1.4.)

If, however, you already have the latest patch and get this error, the hoster's
game version is out-of-date. Better to move on to another hosted game with your
patch.

2.7: I get an error of missing some strange file when joining a game. Why?

Did you also notice that there was no normal S, D, or P labels before the game