Battlezone 2 having very low framerates or lagging

[Vid]

I normally build a 2nd builder/constructor, just because they are snail speed.
What are the odds that I sent the 2nd one to the nav everytime, or does just having 2 make it not work?

Anyway, it worked this time, mission in progress, gotta wait for his slow snail to get back to base and set up a factory and other buildings.

Also, I've been trying to search around for more information on BZII, as since I got this second hand, it did not come with a manual or anything.  The basic game is fine, and i did find the ign guide for units and most of the weapons, however it does not go into great detail that I've seen.   Questions  come to mind, such as what are some of the better weapons to equip different units with, what role does armor have in lessening damage and what types, what do the shields do for the scion(IE if stasis protects from both types, why use the more expensive individual), and which are generally better to use.  I hate to bug everyone here, especially if there is somewhere else to read up on it. 

[technoid]

Glad you got it going.  You don't need to bring the first builder back to base to build stuff if its travel time isn't necessary and inconvenient. You can leave it there at the jammer point and you can then make another builder once you have scrap. But it's up to you.  Here's a tip: You can build a Hauler and then pick up the builder and then you command the Hauler to wherever you need the builder (that the Hauler has) to be at. Travel time is reduced by a factor of two as compared to just the builder walking to its destination.

There is an official manual but it is in electronic HTML form, not paperback, i.e. it came on the CD and gets installed to your PC.  Find it under Start/Programs/Battlezone II/Help System, if you haven't already.  Yes, it is at best rudimentary information, but you might find something there you've never seen before.  As for deeper details, you can find it here at the forum. Others can give you more links to what you need, as it's not off the top of my head. Don't forget the other Readme's in the BZII root directory.

[Vid]

read that too.  Didn't know it had no manual with it.

It was just strange odd things, like if its possible to name a nav without being in a relay bunker(scion don't get a relay bunker), the shields, and if you get stasis, which is cheaper than the other two, but claims to do both... why buy the other two.  I can test the shields, and probably will, but I'm not sure on the navs.  Though its not too hard to use numbers.

[sabrebattletank]

In regards to the shields: One protects against one type well, the other protects against the other well, and the third blocks them both, only a little bit.

[Axeminister]

Use the Scion Antenna mound to do the same thing as the ISDF bunker when naming navs. Yes the shields protect from different things, like use absorption against energy weapons, and stasis against projectiles and energy weapons, deflection deflects projectiles away from hull. It's all in the manual given when the game is installed under the start button.
I think Neilk1 is going to copy page for page the manual hard copy for us at some point. Can't wait, I lost mine in a fire.

[Nielk1]

Eventually... When I learn my new scanner...

[Vid]

Not sure how I missed the Antenna console, oh well.
I went ahead and played a little on the shields:

Warrior:

no shields - 12 multilocks
stasis - 13 multilocks
deflective - 17 multilocks
absorbtion - 12 multilocks

no shields - 6 sonic
stasis - 9 sonic
deflective - 6 sonic
absorbtion - 14 sonic

no shields - 8 quills
stasis - 9 quills
deflective - 15 quills
absorbtion - 8 quills

no shields - 5 arcs
stasis - 7 arcs
deflective - 5 arcs
absorbtion - 10 arcs

So against standard ISDF, you want to go deflective against units, but walkers and assaults will still maul you with blast/plasma, I think the ISDF gun tower is also energy based.

And against scions, you want to go absorbtion, and render almost all of their force less effective except maulers and lancers?

[Nielk1]

This is why ISDF VS Scions I always pair a chain turret with a laser turret. If I have GTs, I put chain or pummel turrets to take care of absorption. The pummel is more an anti mauler thing.

[Vid]

Yea, Maulers are very mean.  Lasers won't do a thing to their heavy armor, pummel would have to be the option.

I did some playing around with armor testing.. nothing scientific.

On the Scion side, I found that Plasma Cannon, Ion Gun(I've yet to find a use for this), and Stinger are absolutely pathetic against heavy armor units.
On the ISDF side, the minigun and lasers were very slow to kill heavy armors, but everything else seemed to do ok.

Stock, the ISDF seems better equipped to handle armored vehicles than the Scions.  Sentries are fast, but they don't seem to be able to take down much, and without an option to the ion gun, they seem limited.

Thinking whether sonic, quill, or arc is good to go on warriors and scouts.
Hrm, I'm offtopic since my original topic got solved.

[Zero Angel]

Sentries are not really useful against anything but a scout. Don't underestimate the power of ion gun vs. a lightly armored scout. Ion gun can take a scout down as fast as laser can. If you're fighting a scion scout with absorbtion shielding, then use gauss instead -- gauss owns abs.

Chain turrets are usually the best ones to have since they'll really hurt maulers and anything equipped with absorbtion shields. If you're going against a human player he can equip deflection shields to make chainguns and missiles ineffective but then he will get owned by blast or laser.

If you want a decent anti-mauler strategy, then MITS mines are great for these -- add them onto a tank that already has chain and MDM mortar and you can kill a mauler in about 10 seconds without any other help. If you are the scions than go with EMP lockdown -- you can also fire it at the ground while moving in order to gain a speed boost. These will stop maulers dead in their tracks and make them into sitting ducks for turrets/GTs

As for what to put on a warrior -- quill is usually only effective as an early game weapon. It's pretty decent but its inferior compared to sonic blast and arc cannon. Sonic blast is neat because it does lots of damage and can slightly deflect slow incoming shots (like assault plasma cannon), its morphed version "sonic wave" is great for pushing builders, scavengers, and assault tanks if you want to get them somewhere fast. Most people just use arc though because it's an instant hit weapon, arc can outrange turrets, but the assault version of arc isn't worth using because it uses a ton of ammo.

As for taking down heavy armor, go with maulers. They're weak against rocket tanks that use salvo, but you can simply use an arc/emp warrior to destroy these.

[Nielk1]

I've used Sonic Wave in combat to shoot an enemy with their own ordinance.

[Vid]

Gauss, is that a multi-only weapon?
I didn't test chaingun since I thought it would be the same as the minigun.  Minigun and ion gun take forever to go through heavy armor.  The ion gun just seems very weak unless the target has no armor(warrior/ISDF scout).

The opposing AI also seems better than my own AI units, as I remember warriors being problem ships during my campaign as ISDF, then I get them as a Scion, and 10 of them can't even take out 3 tanks and a gun turret.  Course that could be a grouping problem when you get 10 together and they bunch up and become stupid   Tell them to attack, and they just move around in a circle dancing mostly, and get shot at til they die down to about 4 warriors, then they start fighting.

Thinking about putting sonic or arc on everything possible for scion.  For ISDF, SP stabber for the sabbers, pummel for the turrets, Plasma for walkers.