Scorched Earth

Introduction

Legal Stuff

Weaponry

Well, lets start out with the basics. Scorched Earth is an action shoot-em up strategy game. You have your tanks and you fire a variety of weaponry at your opponent(s). The Key to winning is based on selecting the proper mix of weaponry, shields, and guidance systems. Please check out the Official Site for information of the latest release.
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Scorched Earth was created and copyrighted by Wendell Hicken. Scorched Earth is Shareware and if you like the game and play it a lot you should register it. When you register you get a cool color manual and your get access to the most powerful tank in the game! Please checkout the Official Site for the newest release and information about the author.
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Weaponry

Baby Missiles and Missiles (The Basic Weaponry)

Baby Missiles are your default weapon. You have an unlimited supply. If your Money is tight and you can't afford anything more powerful buy some regular missiles.

Leap Frog, Baby Nuke, and Nuke (More advanced ways of blowing your opponent off the map)

The Leap Frog is an interesting little thing. It fires like a regular Missile, but has the ability to detonate 3 times before exploding. It comes when handy when getting out of dirt. The Baby Nuke is something you want in your arsenal. Fires like a missile, but impacts with a violent explosion. The explosion is powerful enough to take out a small shield or an unshielded tank. The Nuke Bomb itself is twice as powerful than the Baby Nuke.

MIRV, Funky Bomb, and Death's Head (Blow your opponent of the map and every body else too!)

The MIRV is a very powerful nuke-like bomb. When it lands on it's target four small warheads spring out like a fountain and detonate then the MIRV itself detonates. Funky Bombs are all most self describable. They detonate in a similar way but the warheads go all over the place in no predictable pattern. Death's Head is the most powerful bomb in the game. Get these before your opponent. You fire a Death's Head like a normal missile. However, while in the air the single warhead separates into six other war heads. The Damage is extensive. There is also a possibility that one of the warhead will hit your tank so use this bomb with care.

Napalm, and Hot Napalm (BURN! BURN! BURN!)

Napalm is small bomb when detonated on a target releases fire and lava. This is adequate to weaken a shield or destroy and unshielded tank. Hot Napalm is an extreme Napalm capable of destroying a heavy shielded tank. I recommend these in any arsenal.

Baby Roller, Roller, and Heavy Roller (Let the good times roll!)

The Rollers are an interesting class of bombs. Your fire these a little different than other missiles because you're aiming above the target. When the missile hits ground it rolls to the target and detonates.

Riot Charge, Riot Blast, Riot Bomb, Heavy Riot Bomb, Digger, Baby Digger, and Heavy Digger (What a Riot)

These are known as earth destroying weapons. These weapons only effect dirt and not tanks. I'll discuss these later in Getting out of Dirt.

Baby Sandhogs, Sandhogs, and Heavy Sandhogs (Powerful little rodents)

These weapons are earth and tank destroying. The Heavy Sandhogs can destroy entire mountains and if aimed properly with the aid of a guidance system will also destroy a tank.

Dirt Clod, Dirt Ball, Ton of Dirt, Liquid Dirt, and Dirt Charge (Get the dirt on you opponent)

These are those wonder dirt producing weapons. Ever wanted to literally dig your opponents grave? Now you can! I'll talk about these again in Using Dirt. WARNING: Using dirt in battle can be overly annoying to your opponent and may cause you to be the target of a Hot Napalm or Nuke.

Lasers (Fire Mr. Sulu!)

Laser are just cool. They can blowup anything accept a super mag shield. However, you must correctly aim or you will miss your opponent.

Shield and other Defenses

Mag Deflector

This a simple effective shield. This shield repels Missiles, but can't defend against Death's Heads, Nukes, Sandhogs and Laser blast.

Shield

This is a standard shield. It absorbs damage, but does not deflect missiles.

Force Shield

This shield can deflect missiles and absorb more damage.

Heavy Shields

This Shield is more powerful than the previous shields, but cannot repel missiles.

Super Mag

This is the best shield in the game. It can deflect missiles and can absorb damage from Nukes and Napalm. Lasers have no effect on this shield.

Auto Defense Sys. (Going out with a BANG!)

An Auto Defense Sys. allows you improved shield control. One of it's most well known features is the ability to detonate a nuke, MIRV, Funky Bomb or Baby Nuke/Nuke Combo.

Guidance Systems

Horizontal and Vertical Guidance Systems

These Systems send your missile in a straight vertical or Horizontal line when near an enemy tank.

Lazy Boy

The Best Guidance System around. You select your weapon fire, click your target, and BAM! It's gone. This don't work with Death's Heads.

Misc.

Batteries

If you survive a Napalm, Nuke, or other explosion your Max. output energy will decrease. You may use a Battery to restore it the 1000 default. Batteries also help with Laser and Plasma Blast output.

Fuel

If you selected any tank but the first two (which are called stationary tanks) you will be able to purchase and use fuel. Fuel allows your tank to move. Extremely handy when going in for close range Laser attack or moving away from the Dirt pile you're about to send your sandhog into.

Parachutes

These are handy if you ever get the ground below you destroyed. IF you have no parachute you will fall down, lose damage and might even die. I recommend these for every arsenal.

Strategies

Death's Head and Guidance Systems

Even if you can't use a Lazy boy with a Death's Head the Horizontal and Vertical Systems work great. Let's say there's this guy (Comp or Human) who's been killing you the past few rounds and you'd like to let him have it? Here's what you do: Arm yourself with a death's head and a vertical guidance System. Set your angle 50-75 deg. facing your opponent. The angle will have to be higher if there is a mountain between you. Set your power to 500-700. Press the fire button and click just in front of or behind your opponent. When the death's head breaks into the six smaller warheads all of them will head straight for your opponent whipping him off the face of the earth! A variation of this tactic is used when there is a small mountain between you. Arm a death's head and horizontal sys. then set your power to 500 and let 'er rip. When the 6 warheads appear they will bombard there way threw the mountain and hit your opponent hopefully destroying him.

Using Dirt

Dirt is good for offensive defense (Bet you never heard that Oxymoron before) maneuvers, that is to say you gain your defense by destroying his offense. The best Dirt weapon is Ton of Dirt. You aim the dirt bomb like a normal missile and when it hits the target it erupts a massive dirt ball. A cool alternative when the extra dirt option is enabled is the Dirt Charge. A fountain of dirt erupts covering friend and foe. Dirt prohibits opponents from firing missiles, but not energy weapons such as Lasers and Plasma Blast. A nice combo dirt-bomb attack requires the following: A Sandhog (Baby, Regular, or heavy) and a dirt bomb (any dirt weapon). First bury the opponent(s) fire a sandhog into the dirt by your opponent. This do some damage to your opponent and maybe a little to yourself.

Getting out of Dirt

One of the best way to get out of dirt is to use a riot weapon or digger weapon. If you are buried with an enemy you can use a sandhog to take him down with you. Another form of under dirt tactics involves a lazy boy guidance system. You must arm a nuke or MIRV set your lazy boy to target the opponent.

Wrapping it all up

There are other elements in Scorched Earth which are not covered here, however the readme file that comes with the game covers everything. Please send me your Feedback to help improve this page. Also please feel free to submit Strategies for Scorched Earth.