Syndicate Wars Hints

     Downloaded from the Net, original author Tim Royal

Leave your conscience on the page before this one. You won't need
it for awhile. Because Syndicate Wars is a game that takes no
prisoners, leaves no fingerprints, and doesn't stop to let the
body count stabilize. To survive in a harsh world which makes
Bladerunner look like Shining Time Station, you're going to need
all the inside tips you can get.

Boot camp: shaved, shined, polished, and prepped

An ignorant Syndicate Lord is nothing more than a helpless man in
a floundering dirigible. Know the lay of the land, or the land
will lay you flat. If you're not so pumped you can't even mutter
straight, take a few moments to run through the map carefully.
Some of the smarter lords even run their missions twice. Once to
scan everywhere for immediate signs of danger, a second time to

execute their agents in a manner which displays the treachery and
malicious intent we strive for.

Familiarize yourself with the standard digit protocol. In peon's
terms, know your keyboard. Lose sight of your agents in the middle
of a crossfire, and you'll be lord of the flies... the ones
circling your agents' corpses sprawled across Park Avenue. Keep in
mind that shortcut keys will quickly arm, de-arm, and enable the
super shield around your fold faster than multiple mouse clicks
can.

Finally, realize that money isn't sprouting from the sidewalk
cracks anymore. It's scarce, and the pinch hits hard on the
ability to keep ahead of the technology curve. Though not
officially sanctioned, there have been reports of syndicate lords
"borrowing" funds indefinitely from banks at the cities they're
assigned missions in. Of course, word on the street says you'd
better have lots of ammo to fight off the cops, high explosives,
and a 40 meter dash speed that rivals a cheetah when that baby
breaks wind.

The kiddie pool: splish..., splash..., BLAM

At the onset, you'll have the barest of essentials with which to
prepare your agents. Luckily, the powers that be have seen fit to
ease you into your role with a few "Diaper Directives." Packed
with Uzis, carnage really satisfies....  Weapons will trickle in
as the agents plunder the victims. Warm or cold, those bodies are
the ticket to staying competitive (and alive). Research teams are
available. Give them resources and manpower to investigate items
as you progress through the missions. What they research is
entirely up to you, so make sure you point them at things you
could really use. Off the bat, make high explosives a priority.
Having access to one of these means getting to the banks in later
missions without combing the streets for punks armed with them.

Every lord migrates toward a weapon of choice, but cost and
availability as the missions progress is not an indication of
better effectiveness. The best overall weapon is the plasma lance,
followed by the launcher and the mini-gun, which you'll get
shortly after your first mission. Every weapon is tempered by its
power consumption, a limited source which runs out easily if all
agents are equipped with the best weaponry. Sure, a Porsche with
an empty gas tank is still a Porsche, but that won't keep you from
feeling silly when you're found defenselessly fused to the floor
mats due to a lowly flamer.

There's a reason for combined arms; it's called survival, and the
ominous streets in Syndicate Wars are positively no exception.
Arm at least two agents with the best weapon you've scrounged, but
keep mini-guns in the hands of all of them. Additionally, arm one
or two with a long range rifle. It saps almost all energy, but one
shot easily decimates most targets. You can usually snipe at least
two or three targets at long range before being swarmed, in which
case switching to a short-range gun is wise.

Finally, as missions escalate, keep your eye on the research of
agent modifiers. Equipping your agents with the best that blood
money has to offer means more power for your weapons, faster
travel times, and you probably won't have to fly coach, either.

How to kill friends and influence peons

Keeping your agents alive is a number one priority. Sure, these
guys aren't real. Heck, in reality they're cryogenic potpourri
with less intelligence than a Chia pet. But after you've invested
thousands upgrading their innards, you'll want to leave every
mission with all four of them, even if it means doing the mission
over. Avoid having to re-equip another agent unless absolutely
sure that you can't fare better in the mission.

Splitting your agents into two or more groups might seem like that
long-lost killer move you saw on Cops 90210. In reality,
concentrating your firepower together works far better.

If your mission doesn't dictate expediency, start off by hiding
your guys somewhere in the cityscape. Buildings and dark corners
do well to protect your minions while you survey around you. Don't
trust the radar; it tells only half the story. You might know
where your enemies are with it, but it won't tell you what they're
doing, and that's the part of the story dead agents don't get to
read.

Move troops quickly from place to place. Initially, your biggest
danger will be in following the rules of the road. Yes, the road.
Getting your agents run over by cars doesn't exactly smell of
brilliance, so look both ways before crossing. As a matter of
fact, there's very little (if any) penalty for running from point
to point across the city, as opposed to sauntering down streets
just begging to be plastered into a sidewalk sandwich by a sniper.

When positioning to fire, make sure all agents have a clear line
of sight to the intended target. It's very easy to come out from
behind a wall with all guns blazing... and three of the four guns
blazing into the wall. Running across fields of view between cover
gives all agents a chance to fire. Gauge distance carefully, and
always be on the lookout for side and flank attacks. Your enemies
in Syndicate Wars are tough, and think turpentine makes an
excellent chaser, so they're not afraid to sneak around buildings
for a better shot.

Some missions demand total annihilation. In all honesty, missions
like this are easier, as you can blast away at the countryside,
and riddle an occasional bystander with the "Ammo Of The Day." A
slow, methodical sweep of each sector of the city seems to yield
better results, and limits the possibility of an ambush or flank
fire.

Tougher missions involve escorting, or persuading individuals.
Once persuaded, their fragile bodies must be transported to the
pick-up point. Many, many times you'll be dancing through hails of
bullets, only to see a lone shot take out your prized possession,
thus failing the mission.

The best method for this type of mission is to eliminate as much
enemy fire as possible before persuading or capturing the target
person. Then, if you have the opportunity, break off the agent
with the Persuadatron and keep him and the persuaded target safely
tucked away in a building or safe spot. Then, with the remaining
three agents, travel across the route you plan on taking back.
This way, they'll absorb any flank fire, or worse, any pre-
determined ambush along the way. Three agents will handle heavy
arms much better than the scientist with only his Fruit of the
Loom undies to guard him from evil. Once the coast is clear, dash
your stash to the evacuation point, and head home.

Advanced CYA (cover your agents) techniques

While you still have the luxury, spend time watching the actions
of the Punks, civilians and enemies around you carefully. Many do
specific things which will help out, or at least distract others.
Some may leave an abandoned car for you to take. Other places have
hover craft which, if used correctly, can inflict a lot of damage
in a short time. Visit the tourist centers, and get all the
pamphlets on local bass fishing. But most of all, look for banks
to blow up. Out of high explosives? Park a few cars next to it,
and blow them up. This is one game where creativity will get you
everywhere.


In later missions, window shopping will be the last thing on your
mind. Surviving with all four agents and their opposable limbs
will take all the ingenuity and skill you can fathom. At a point
in the game where you don't feel comfortable looking past the
mission objective(s) anymore, make sure you've gotten enough cash
to max out all agent upgrades, and research at least up to the
Plasma Lance.

Eventually, you're going to run into a crossfire, ambush, or
superior forces over-running your agents. At that point, forget
about revenge, attrition, or making your enemy's gray matter
splatter. Hit super-shield to protect your agents, and run as far
away as possible. You can always re-charge to full strength if you
can just get out of reach.

Lastly, keep in mind that everything I've said applies equally as
well to the Zealots as to the Eurocorp agents. If nothing else,
remember one thing: improvise. There's always a second way to do
anything in Syndicate Wars.
                              - o -