Okay, lets knock out some basics in the gameplay itself, and a couple of possible tips that some people may not know.

1.) This mod is mostly designed for people who just love to play the game. RNG (random spawns, events, timers, etc.) and replayability are core features to give the missions more life. You're not meant to win every single game, and you won't always have full control over what's going on in the game. If that turns you off--this may not be the mod for you. It's quite similar to what a roguelike strives to do. The way to get good (and lucky) at Nation of Snakes, is to just keep playing it.

2.) You can pause the game using the Pause/Break key on your keyboard. Use this to read mouse-over texts in the purchase menu.

3.) You can also tap 'H' to view the Message History (or you may have it bound to another key). There's a button for it in the lower left console. You can get a lot of text prompts in this mod, and it's a necessary evil. But you can open up Message History, then Pause the game and scroll through/read all the notes at your own pace.

4.) The majority of units and vehicles you purchase WILL NOT COME EQUIPPED WITH ANY GEAR OR FUEL etc. The exceptions are very few and will likely remain that way. The OSS Agent comes equipped, as does the Patrol Boat from the motorpool. And the dog, if you want to count him I guess. :^)

5.) Explore the maps. There's usually some freebies around, like vehicles you can steal to siphon the fuel out of. Or use them to navigate the map easier.

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-The very first things I usually do in-game:

1.) Call-in a supply truck as soon as the option becomes available for my Officer. This first one will make it to the base without you needing to escort it, 90% of the time. Use that time to square away other little details and tasks. -->

2.) I'm a little OCD, so I like to open up the unit inventory and go through all my starting soldiers to throw away their field caps. This opens up space for helmets later. I also right click all their weapons to make them draw and load them. Sometimes you can have an early suicide/grenade civilian attack, and this helps deal with any potential threats like that.

2-a.) This is also because you will spend the next minute or 2 doing some initial purchases and gearing up your units. Need your guys ready to fire in case of enemies showing up during that time.

3.) Generally speaking, I'll buy a M3A1 (grease gun) SMG, 4-6 molotovs, and anywhere between 10-20 bandages. I buy all of that at once, and go grab everything with my Officer (after tossing his starting gear). Then I hand out bandages and molotovs to my main patrol. Grab 600-900 SMG ammo from the ammo box for your Officer, and 300-450 rifle ammo for your other 3 troopers. Then, I'm good to move out with Tier 0 equipment.

3-a.) I like to send out my Officer with my NCO/Squad Leader, and 2x Riflemen (in most general cases). I usually leave my 2x SMG guys at the FOB for defense. But this depends a lot on the map and the terrain you'll be tackling. And as such, the weapons/units you'll want to be using.

3-b.) I feel like 2x Riflemen, the Officer with a SMG, and the NCO/Squad Leader's starting M1A1 carbine is a good combination for most terrain situations. And you've got a little bit of automatic and semi-automatic fire in there for suppression and close-in fighting. The M1A1 is a good early "middle-ground" weapon that makes for nice balance.

3-c.) Molotovs are a great way for dealing with almost all the vehicles, crewed weapons, and elite infantry. You can encounter all of these things early in the game, EXCEPT for vehicles--which will show up a little later (or they may not-RNG). But all the standard vehicle spawns are open-top, and by the time they show up you will *most likely* have AT grenades or even a Panzerfaust to deal with it. Even a BAR can deal with most of them. Or use the Radio Pack with fire support call-ins. Anything bigger and badder is going to be a special mission event vehicle.

3-c.1.)--Special Note--. Goliaths are a thing. Early on, mid game, late game, or not at all. Molotovs don't deal with them. If your micro is decent, you can bait it away to an empty space with 1 soldier and *just barely* get out of the blast radius when it stops to blow up. Otherwise, just avoid these things until you have a Morphine Pack (Tier 1 equipment rack item) or the AT-rifle (Tier 2 item). That way you can either sacrifice a soldier and revive him, or snipe it with the AT-rifle. You will also need to buy the appropriate ammo box to have access to AT-rifle ammo.

-Core Elements of Gameplay:

1.) Hearts and Minds (H&M) Score

1-a.) At the end of the day, getting this thing to 100% is all that matters--and keeping your Officer alive during the process. The gameplay is centered around all the stuff that makes the H&M score go up and down. What you need to know, however, is that *nearly everything* is affected by how high or low the score currently is. Enemy unit spawns, subversives(!), and some in-mission events. The rest you will need to figure out for yourself through playing (or reading tons of dev. notes).

1-b.) Patrolling the map as efficiently as possible and clearing out enemies is the main way you will keep the game going and avoid losing. You gain 1% H&M per enemy infantry killed, and more for special things like knocking out vehicles or mission events. You may think that because you're at 35% H&M you're about to lose--but then you clear out one quadrant of the map and kill a dozen enemies. Then, you're back in the game at 47%--just that quick.

1-c.) The lower your H&M score is, the more enemies will start spawning. More enemies will also start triggering a negative event that lowers the H&M score even further--"Enemy Saturation". Simply meaning, you need to get out there and start clearing the map as best you can. This is a core gameplay loop/downward spiral. H&M lowers, enemies spawn, saturation event triggers, H&M goes farther down. The main way you deal with this is simply hustling around the map and clearing it.

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2.) Subversives and You

2-a.) Enemy subversive units become the core gameplay feature at high H&M scores--while normal enemies will spawn less and less. You will know when these guys are on the field, because the H&M score will start dropping on its own. Starting at a trickle, 1% loss every now and then. You can still keep yourself in the game by diligently clearing enemies off the map as H&M lowers--until a certain point where there's just too many subversives and/or other bleed factors in the game.

--Special Note: There can also be specific mission-events that cause H&M loss over time. But subversives are a core element present in every mission.

--New Edit: There are also other obscure mechanics common to every mission that can cause bleeding H&M loss. One of them being sheer enemy presence on the map, that will cause a trickle in addition to the saturation H&M losses. Others you may or may not be made immediately aware of through hints and such. But the higher you push the H&M score, the more subversives are guaranteed to come out and contribute.

2-b.) As more and more subversives come onto the field, you need to start deploying the gear and units designed to counter them. Or you *WILL* lose the game. You must do this while protecting your FOB and patrolling the map to clear out any enemies. There are a lot of ways to deal with subversives and their negative H&M bleed effect, which we'll get into later on in the guide. For now, you just need to know that they lower the H&M score over time, and can/will lay mines and IEDs all over the map. And more subversives will increase both of these problems greatly.

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3.) Mines (and minefields), IEDs, and Convoys

3-a.) Your cash (Manpower/MP) comes in via a supply truck that uses a single route to your FOB. If you want MP to spend, you have to keep that road secure--and clear of mines. There are also random allied convoy events which can use a number of routes/roads. Once again, if you want those to get through, you have to sweep those roads of mines and enemies both. Much like real life, keeping the roads clear is a core element of play in this mod.

3-b.) Other than clearing mines manually using minesweepers and/or the minesweeping tank, you have 2 units who have mine-detection abilities to help you locate them. The Officer, whose ability has a small cost attached to it, and the K9/dog unit who can let you know when mines are nearby.

3-c.) Play the missions enough--and you may start to notice and learn some key hotspots for enemy mining activity. You may even catch them red-handed.

3-d.) Subversives can now plant IEDs sometimes, which are like super AP mines. These things have variables/RNG so that they don't perform/explode the same way every time like normal mines do. If you trip one and RNG decides for it to work optimally--it will be devastating.

3-e.) The Officer's mine-detection ability will place an abstract UI flag upon a random mine within the ability's range. *THIS DOES NOT MEAN THAT IS THE ONLY MINE IN THE AREA.*

--Special Note: Using the ability several times DOES NOT mean that he will flag new/extra mines in the location. That's just a limitation of the game. Simply be aware that the mine your Officer detects, could in fact be a MINEFIELD. And there may be other mines in the area, that are just not being flagged.

-Mechanics Meets Strategy:

1.) Clearing the map, securing the roads, minesweeping, gearing up your units, rooting out subversives...a task-management nightmare, right? Well it is, a bit--and it's supposed to be. It's also pretty unavoidable. But there are systems in the mod/gameplay to help you with it. It's a bit less about dexterity, and more about which task you should currently be focusing on. You just need to be effective, systematic, and as efficient as possible--while striving for clean play. You also need for RNG to not completely crash your party. It would get boring really quickly without that.

1.a) Think more like this--are there any ways you can knock out 2 birds with one stone? Any way to manage your time more effectively to give you the chance to get more things done? Be methodical, and refine your tactics to the given map/situation.

2.) You lose H&M for civilian deaths. You lose it for Polizei deaths. For killing subversives. For mis-targeting innocents with the Officer's subversive capture ability or hitting them with the Less Lethal Shotgun. And for plenty of other things you will learn through playing. However, there are also a lot of ways to gain H&M--that are not related to killing enemy units. You have a couple methods of +H&M ticking/counter-bleed, and the rest are "boosts" that need to be actively used by the player. You will need to explore and employ these options *properly* to win in most cases. Even strategizing them to the maps in specific ways.

2.a) "Clean play saves the day." Most of your method for mitigating H&M loss is through tackling fights intelligently, microing properly, and making good use of special abilities. Making sure you take the right gear into the right situations. Playing the map/terrain as effectively as you can with the tools you have access to. Having the right FOB structures up at the right times. Use the Officer's "Clear Out" ability to scatter civilians away from gunfire, or to pre-emptively clear buildings. Never forget about that ability.

2.b) By playing smart and avoiding sloppy H&M loss where possible, you give yourself more breathing room to stay in the game and make advancements towards winning. You survive longer to get more supply trucks in, so you can field more units and FOB structures. The first 20-30 minutes of the map is about survival and income, though late game is technically harder due to everything being in play at that point. It's a good balance.

2.c) Play well enough--and you may even be able to afford killing a subversive from time to time, if you really need or want him off the map. You'll be able to take that H&M loss.

3.) The gameplay has a natural flow/balance that you will need to learn. Technically/in theory, as you've cleared the map of enemies, the game will become more focused on rooting out subversives. The H&M score will be high so you will have a lot less fights to manage, giving you the task-freedom you need to start countering subversives. Bear in mind that, less enemies on the map also means you will need to be more effective at finding them if you want to take them out. Non-informant based Intel sources are a core feature for improving your play efficiency, and become more important on maps that are difficult to navigate quickly.

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-Subverting the Subversive:

I feel like the combat portion of gameplay is pretty self-explanatory. If you're having trouble with it, you just gotta git gud, pray to RNGesus, and try to play smart with the right gear. So to top off the newbie guide I'll cover some basics on how to locate, identify, and neutralize subversive units. I won't be listing every single unit, FOB structure, or method used however. Play the game, try stuff out, read the mouse-overs. Be creative.

1.) Subversives can be visually identified as civilians, who on occasion will do special animations. One of which is them planting a mine. Basically looks like they squat down and start tying their shoes. Bear in mind, they can plant AP *and* AT mines.

1.a) *New Edition*--Subversives are now able to plant IEDs on occasion, instead of landmines. These things are quite random and inconsistent in how much damage they do or what type of directional blast they create, but are potentially far more deadly than a basic AP mine.

1.b) The "punching air" animation is them deploying propaganda to cause H&M loss. This will leave behind a leaflet on the ground, which is just an extra method for identifying/trailing subversives. You can interact with them, but they will self-delete anyway after a short time.

2.) Sometimes they have particular locations they like to plant mines at. You will learn to pass through these areas on occasion to see if any are around, and to sweep their mines.

3.) The main thing with these guys is learning to find them. Polizei can identify them nearby 100% of the time at 100% accuracy, and will give you a blue marker on screen. Same with the K9/dog, though he won't give you an on-screen marker for identification. The NCO/Squad Leader can also spot them, with a blue marker too--however he can be wrong quite often. You can try something like double-checking the NCO's suspect with the K9, for example. Or follow him around and see if he tries to plant a mine or propaganda.

4.) Nearly all of the non-informant Intel sources in the game have the possibility of letting you know where a subversive is at on the map. But the Radio Tower is for enemy positions only, and giving you an estimate of how many are currently on the map.

5.) Subversives are meant to be captured and turned in as prisoners, that's why there is H&M loss for killing them. They are also meant to be stunned first with less lethal tools, and then quickly followed up with the Officer's capture ability for a 100% turn-over. Otherwise...well, you'll find out on your own. :^)

5.a) The Officer's ability is your main way of capturing subversives, when supplemented with Less Lethal tools.

5.b) The OSS Agent also has a chance to capture them with his prisoner focus. While somewhat low probability, it's a sustained function once activated and doesn't require any extra kitting (other than the Prisoner Facility for turn-ins, of course).

5.c) There are 2 tools for nonlethal takedowns to secure a clean 100% prisoner turn-over with the Officer. The Less Lethal Shotgun, which is a tier 3 equipment rack item, and the K9/dog unit. The shotgun can graze nearby civilians, causing H&M loss. Be careful how you use it, as it still does damage--and employ tactics like using the Officer to scatter civilians for a clean shot. Upon being stunned (*not just knocked down, but STUNNED*) by the K9/shotgun, you have a short window where the capture ability works at 100%. The K9 stuns anyone he tackles, the shotgun however--only stuns someone close and directly in the line of fire.

5.d) As of recently, there is now a 3rd option for neutralizing subversives non-lethally. The Interpreter has a Conversion ability that can be used on a nearby subversive, with a chance of turning him into a militiaman--or back into a normal civilian. You don't need the FOB's prisoner facility or any extra equipment to make use of this ability. **But you will need to use the Propaganda Tower's ability that boosts Conversion chances if you want this to succeed more often than not.** This makes it a great stop-gap countermeasure for holding you over until you have better methods on the field--and in some cases it can turn the tide of the game on its own.

5.d Note) Converting subversives with the Interpreter gives a decent H&M boost, opposed to capturing/prisoner turn-in methods. Consider using conversion if you think you'll want the extra H&M.

5.e) The stun effect from the Less Lethal Shotgun and K9 unit also enables the Officer to capture ENEMY PRISONERS with 100% turn-over rate. Otherwise, the chance of the enemy unit surrendering is pretty low.

That's it for the basics/newbie guide. There's enough here to get you into the game with a good understanding of how to play and the way everything works, without spoiling all the details.

-"Baby's First Sipplingen", Basic Map Analysis:

Sipplingen is meant to be the map for new players, though in some ways that can vary from time to time. It's still capable of destroying you. However, its general terrain/detail layout is what will always make it the best starting map. Brief description of some notable features and basic tips:

1.) The map is relatively small and open, without much terrain variation. There's not a lot of obstacles, terrain or otherwise, to slow down your navigation. There's not many places for close-up/SMG fighting, and there's no major concentrations of civilians to worry about.

2.) Enemy patrol routes and informant barrels are pretty evenly distributed around the map sort of like a race-track. Same goes for the civilians.

3.) There's only a couple of convoy routes, and the main highway is simple enough to sweep for enemies and mines. Great layout for Polizei to do work along the convoy routes and act as early warning against enemy patrols.

4.) Be careful of all the cattle--on all maps. They deduct H&M score when they're killed, and they're usually in open areas where you'll want to use MGs or fire support. Chickens also drop H&M when they die, so watch out for them as well.

5.) Your FOB is nicely positioned in the center, and combined with the map's features--makes patrolling quick and easy for the most part. Troop exhaustion is generally not a problem, and you'll probably never need any sustainment building except the Meal facility. You can get by on just the Washroom, if you use Intel sources to locate enemies and resolve your fights quickly.

6.) Be careful of the north side of the FOB against the highway. Goliaths, suicide bombers, and any other number of enemies/vehicles can come up over the lip suddenly and be right in your face. I absolutely recommend having a SMG or MG covering this position, with grenades. The other 3 directions are open terrain, and best suited for rifles or something like the BAR. Also be careful of all the civilians and subversives who like to travel along those 3 faces of your FOB.

7.) Always be on the lookout, on any map, for areas that could be difficult to dig enemies out of in the future. Especially certain buildings. You can try to pass through these areas when they're clear and use your Officer to scatter some of the civilians away (hopefully). If you manage to get all the civilians out of the way--consider demolishing some of these structures to prevent the enemy from digging into them later on.

8.) There can also be fringe locations on the maps where it may be wise to air-drop minefields or set up other pre-emptive solutions to enemy patrols/vehicles passing through the area. Always look for special features as you patrol and learn a map.

Overall, Sipplingen is an easy map to learn and doesn't really lend itself to needing any specific strategies or plays to beat it. Just play it and practice it, learn its details. It's also pretty easy to recognize the enemy mining patterns and patrol routes. All part of why it's a good starter map.

If anybody wants to ask any questions in here about something, or start your own discussions--feel free to. I'll try to keep the guide up to date if any mechanics or other essentials change at some point, and I'll try to help you guys out or answer questions. As long as those questions aren't about special mission events. :^)

Think I got everything edited properly to be accurate. Not sure if the LL stuff affects the OSS Agent's focus or not, since I haven't played hardly at all this week or even used him with all the recent changes.

I swear those enemy chickens never lowered H&M for me, but maybe they did. Either way no biggie since they're fixed now.

A couple of micro-strategies I've had success with. None of these are game-winning on their own, but can help you flesh out your overall strategy.

Outposts + a 2-3 man detachment. You can do short-run and QRF type actions from these. Preferably place them so you can do as many of the following as possible:
- A chokepoint where enemy (and subversives) are more likely to be passing through
- Along a civilian-used road, where enemy combatants, especially vehicles, tend to travel
- Within a quick jog of at least 1, preferably two, informants
- Near a remote informant that is otherwise difficult/time consuming to get to
- In an civilian area, where subersives frequent, so your NCO can help spot possible subs while your officer deals with them/investigates
- Near a civilian area, where your eco advisors tend to frequent, so you can bail them out when they get into trouble
- Near polizei, same as above

Random convoys: I ignore them unless it is convienient for me to help them out. I've actually had that fireball kill more enemy than the H&M loss on occasion so (don't count on this, it is rare). More often than not, they'll make it on their own anyway.

Main supply convoys:
- I generally try to keep their area clear, but I don't actually escort them.
- I WONT call them in if I know there is something along their route. i.e. I saw a mining crew or have intel on something near the route. Or the last one got destroyed and I haven't investigated/dealt with what killed it yet.
- If I have the terp, I'll try to get milita to watch chokepoints/likely mining sites along their route. They can generally deal with mining crews pretty easily.
- Same with polizei, although you are wasting polizei if you are only using them/clustering them to defend key areas. Their H&M effect is much better when they are spread out around the map

Subversives:
- Try to convert (+conversion broadcast if possible), be ready if they run.
- If they run (and WAIT to see, otherwise it is wasted), then try capture (+ less lethal if you are really fast on the click)
- Don't bother escorting every prisoner back to base one at a time. Keep them with the squad, or have a intermediate holding area (such as prone near a couple of militia or polizei) if you plan to do more capturing.

See civilians acting weird? Going for cover and running around, but nothing is going on?

There is enemy nearby (most likely).
- If it's nighttime, pop a flare and look around.
- It could be a backstabbing civ crawling up the rear of your patrol
- If its an urban area, they could be inside a building.

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Got enemy in a building?
- You can try to charge in, but just like real urban combat, you are likely to take casualties. Even if you quickly revive them, you'll risk the H&M and morale loss from bleeding troops.
- The show of force artillery barrage will usually scatter civilians away from the area pretty reliably, and stands a decent chance of getting one to surrender.
- Officer capture ability, and if you are real gutsy, send in the dog or try to snipe through windows with the less lethal. You'll likely only capture 1 or 2, but thinning the herd helps reduce the risk.
- Most buildings, you can snipe through doors and windows. You can double-click on the enemies to try to get your guys to do this, but sometimes your guys will just charge in, or derp around the outside of the building and not take any shots. Just takes trial and error
- Use show-of-force, less-lethal, dog, officer ability to clear out civilians and level the building with your choice of fire support. Air bomb or precision artillery are probably the best option.

You can try to premptively clear the civilians out of buildings or other likely hot-spots and pre-set demo charges. When you get intel that enemies are there, just have someone at the base hit the detonator.

You can also clear out civilians from likely hot spots and set up tripwire flares to let you know when something is moving in that area. Keep in mind that tripwires go off for civilians and even friendlies.

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Mid/Late game intel

One thing that saves you a lot of time is not having to make the rounds to informants for intel. Other intel sources will provide global intel on the entire map, making it much more powerful and saving you valuable travel time.

- The terp/officer intel ability is reasonably reliable, and with the Psyops boost, can even produce intel on subversives.
- Turning in prisoners gives a decent chance for intel on enemies, mines, and subverisives. I'll often "farm" prisoners for this reason alone (They also give +50MP and a very minor H&M boost)
- The base radio station gives intel on enemy combatants periodically

Usually by 45 minutes into game, I'm not visiting informants much anymore, instead relying on one or more of the intel sources above to do the job.

And when you get intel on enemy in a remote area, consider dropping arty or air support instead of making the journey. Just make sure the risk of civilian casualites is low.

I can't think of a good way to format any of the new information I'm going to post. So, I'm just going to slice it into separate portions with some thoughts and rants on each bit. I think we'll start with the weather and day/night cycle, and how it affects my personal play.

-The combination of Weather, Time of Day, Terrain, and Force composition:

1.) There's really no elaborate explanation needed for how the weather and time of day (ToD) affects gameplay. During peak daylight hours with clear weather, you can see everything at maximum ranges and engage enemies at length with things like rifles and MGs. Every other possible combination of weather/ToD results in the same effect--less visibility and closer fighting.

1.a) Combine this with adverse terrain such as the hills of Bayerischer Wald, or any other areas with a lot of concealment and line of sight obstacles--suddenly automatics and SMGs are at a premium. Especially in the dark, flashlights or not.

2.) Overall, the combo of weather effects with a night cycle that has greatly increased enemy spawning (along with deadlier units) has caused me to change up my patrol configurations quite a bit from before. I now always take one, if not two SMGs. I will always take a BAR/johnson LMG if it's a 4-man patrol. Just because of running into MG34/42s up close at night. The M2 carbine is pretty much my favorite weapon now (especially for my small elite patrols), and I will tend to take carbines/SMGs + BAR over something like garands + BAR. On any map--though it's never really a drawback to throw in 1 long rifle on an open map like Sipplingen or even Edertal. But only in a 4-man+ sized patrol (atleast for me). The BAR is also a staple for knocking out some of the lighter vehicles if you get caught out of position to use your AT weaponry.

2.a) This is at increased risk of hitting civilians with stray automatic fire, but a necessity to ensure you win every engagement quickly and decisively.

2.b) Look for a SKS from a civilian turncoat, or G43 Scoped from the germans if you want a good long rifle to run "for free". The G43 Scoped is one of the most coveted weapons in the game when used by an elite trooper such as the Rangers. The main thing here, is that elite enemy infantry can absorb quite a few shots from carbines and SMGs. Especially if your men happen to miss several shots (it happens, even at short range). Up close at night and/or in bad weather, enemy automatics will cut you down if you don't react and kill them quickly. That's why it's critical to have a BAR or big semiauto rifle to get some high burst damage on the MG34/42 and STG44s as soon as you spot them. Focus your patrol's fire and prioritize your targets properly.

3.) I will usually run only 1 flashlight per patrol, but sometimes 2 if it's 4 or more men. Generally goes on the SMG guy(s) since he will be/need to be closer to the enemy. It's also critical for him to be the one who spots incoming suicide bombers first, and empties his mag into them. For the most part, gameplay has felt to me like having too much light makes you a big target at night. But you need that 1 flashlight for getting the jump on turncoat civilians/bombers.

4.) Night time/bad weather has given a lot more value and purpose to FOB defensive structures (along with defensive items). Mainly for limiting the points of entry into your FOB, so that you can distribute and manage your light sources more efficiently. Along with letting you keep the number of actual units defending the FOB low, because they'll be able to focus on less entrances. All kinds of nasty surprises can rush you from any direction in the dark, without you having any idea what it is until too late. I tend to buy the concertina wire upgrade almost every game.

-Random Units and Items rants/notes:

1.) +OSS Agent+ This guy is **always** worth his cost, but wait until mid/late game before buying him. Early game, you need to be more focused on getting your gear upgrades, FOB structures, more combat units, etc. If you've never used him before--in a nutshell, ANY one of his active skills combined with his fighting ability makes him a game-changing unit. Early on, it's simply the fact that his cost needs to be spent elsewhere to secure yourself in the game first.

2.) +K9/Military Working Dog+ Generally speaking, he's worthwhile in most cases since his attack interaction with subversives has been fixed. Though using the Less Lethal Shotgun is still less fidgety/micro-intensive if you're looking for the easiest captures. The dog's main limitations are that it's still hard to distinguish who the subversive is in a crowd of civilians (such as Deggendorf's civilian areas), and that the subversive could take off running if you don't attack them fast enough. They're much harder to follow/click on when sprinting, and they will outrun all your troops but not the dog himself--who could wind up "rubber-banding" back and forth. Also, if the subversive runs into a 2-story+ building, you will most likely just lose track of him since you won't be able to see inside.

3.) +Psyops Tower FOB structure+ I pretty much buy this thing early late-game, every game. Very robust functionality like the OSS Agent, always worthwhile and effective.

4.) +Concertina Wire FOB defense upgrade+ Pretty much every game as well, due to the night cycle and weather effects. A must on certain maps, I would argue.

5.) +Radio Pack+ Another must-have with substantial utility capable of changing the game.

6.) +AT & AP mines+ Your best friends on some maps, and useful on any map. It's quite a bit of management to get these things placed (other than the airdrop cluster), but I've done it enough now to know it's worth the effort 100% of the time. Stopping some fights before they start, and denying positions/cover to enemy movement is a big deal. The load and time it takes off your shoulders to resolve some fights that would otherwise be nightmares, is game-changing.

7.) +Economic Advisors+ These guys are a lot better than they used to be, but I would still avoid using them if possible. Though if your game goes *really* long, and you have good polizei saturation on the map--they can still be quite useful when combined with the psyops boost. I'll list my issues with them briefly:

a.) You need all 3 on the field for maximum effect, meaning more recruitment timer. I'm usually trying to deploy combat units or polizei. This kind of orients them toward being a late game thing, especially the way they synergize with humanitarian aid.
b.) There's no telling if they'll go for civilians who received humanitarian aid or not.
c.) They need a lot of protection on the map/babysitting, and require you to clear mines constantly. (They can probably trip IEDs too?)
d.) They cause traffic jams like mad at nearly every bridge/chokepoint. Some of these will block your supply route.

8.) +Polizei and/or Militia+ Use them, every game if possible. But you're going to have to be careful about when you buy/bring them out, where you place them, how you supplement them with your own troops, etc. But once you devise a scheme for each map, you'll see their value.

9.) +Interpreter and Medical Tent+ If you use any friendly AI units, you run the risk of them dying (potentially ending your game) unless you have a Medical Tent. It will also let you revive civilians. The Medical Tent, friendly AI units, and the Psyops Tower all go hand-in-hand. Once again, tailor a method of using them on a map-by-map basis, and you will be able to start winning consistently. They are essential tools to beat "the endgame hump".

10.) +Motorpool+ Sadly, I never use this except for the humanitarian aid truck or the raft with the 1919 MG. Land vehicles can't really navigate any terrain except roads and flatland, which is also where the majority of the civilians/livestock circulate in most maps. The weaponry just runs too much of a friendly fire risk across open terrain like that, for my tastes. There are areas in each map where you could sit a vehicle for defense, but I don't feel like that's a good use of it and there are cheaper/better solutions.

11.) +Horses+ A great mid/late game tool, easily one of the best additions to the mod. They're the perfect supplement to your elite patrols that spend most of their time out in the far/difficult areas of the map. Not just for navigating tough terrain quickly, but mainly for carrying essential items to make sure your elites never have to come back to the FOB. This also keeps your troopers' weight down, so they themselves can be more mobile and responsive.

12.) A note about my personal playstyle. I like to have infantry patrolling the entire map at all times, throughout the whole game. I will run up to 5-6 separate hotkeys of units by the endgame, checking them constantly as I patrol every informant barrel. I tend to keep my patrols small (1-4 men) so that I can box the units/micro them better. I can/have beaten Deggendorf only using my officer/terp and 1 ranger for the entire western half of the map, with a handful of polizei/militia in the area. Basically, less units means less to manage, and your troops will gain veterancy faster by getting more kills.

Recent changes to the gameplay have only reinforced that playstyle for me. I have certain ways that I like to "split" each map into segments and deal with them--patrolling one area with regulars, another with elites, setting up my polizei/militia a certain way, etc. Vehicles just never have a role to fill in it, compared to other tools at my disposal.

Lastly, it only takes enemies populating 1/4 of the map to get saturation H&M losses and bleeding. So I feel like informant barrels never lose their value, as the whole map needs to be cleared constantly. All the extra intel sources are great, and can be necessary during the late game--but the informant barrels are the main way of making sure you've *cleared a quadrant of the map.* Everything else is supplementary, for really high H&M scores when there's not a lot of enemy units spawning.

-Deggendorf:

I'd like to preface this by once again reiterating the value of playing the mod/missions repeatedly. Knowledge is your biggest weapon in Nation of Snakes. Learning enemy spawns and patrol routes, mining patterns, subversive travel routes, and the special events, will greatly increase your likelihood of winning. GREATLY. You can't truly develop a map-specific strategy without that kind of information and a sound understanding of game/mission mechanics.

1.) AT and AP mines. This is one of those maps. Can't reveal too much here, other than play Deggendorf with the intention of learning where/when you should start placing these.

2.) Trip-flares and/or Spotlight kits. You'll probably want to use these, and it'll only take 1-2 playthrough attempts before you figure out where.

3.) Amazing map for militia and polizei. Probably the best to-date. But take care of civilian crossfire issues.

4.) Not the worst subversive travel patterns and mining patterns in the world. Edertal takes that title, without a doubt.

5.) See those big clusters of civilians? Road junctions where tons of traffic passes through? Big opportunities for using any tools that boost H&M via civilian proximity.

6.) Securing the main convoy route plays well into the special event, along with it being good reason to continuously sweep the toughest side of the map. The Northwest and Southwest quadrants are the hardest to fight in. Those same civilian clusters that help you, can also hurt you if you try to fight amongst them.

7.) Digging enemies out of buildings can be a nightmare, but is a critical skill to hone if you want to become good at the mod. This map will teach you that.

8.) A Washroom Facility is probably the only sustainment upgrade you'll need, for your patrol that sweeps the East half of the map. I like elite infantry for the Western half.

9.) Yes, a supply truck will wind up stuck on the bridge at some point during 70% of your playthroughs, 80% of the time, most of the time. It should eventually un-screw itself, and this isn't the worst map for a supply convoy to get held up on.

10.) Probably the worst map (IMO) to try and use the dog. Edertal is probably the best for him. This is because it's still pretty hard to tell which civilian is a subversive when they're clustered together, and they have plenty of buildings to run through where you won't be able to track them. He's also not really needed for mine detection on this map, unless you REALLY let it get out of hand somehow. Edertal is once again the nightmare in that aspect, which could warrant his use.

11.) I'm usually a fan of risky builds. My favorite for Deggendorf is probably -> ranger and T1 equipment when the first supply truck comes in. Send my officer to the western half of the map, patrol the eastern half with 3 troops. Send my ranger to the western half with the officer when he comes in. Going for an early interpreter to recruit militia can also be a fun, cheeky build to play. Overall, you have a lot of options for this map, and it's probably the easiest map to play once you've mastered the special event.

-Edertal:

1.) While the most intimidating map, I've had a comeback from 16% H&M recently in a 135 minute game that was riddled with buggy civilian deaths and other issues. The map and its gameplay flow is very mild, or stable, however you'd want to word it. This *usually* isn't one of those maps where the H&M will go up and down wildly, riddled with a mix of catastrophe and big enemy spawns.

2.) Most vehicle spawns on this map are patrols--deploy your AT mines and save yourself the headache of one driving around the map, killing all your polizei and militia before it pulls up in your FOB. Yes, that happened to me. Once. Never again.

3.) Enemy mines. All over this giant map, in all the obvious places alongside some less obvious spots. 2, possibly even 3 minesweeping crews is a must. May even want to buy the dog, until you learn the mining patterns. Or even the minesweeping tank. Yes, the mines get that bad on this map.

4.) The special/hidden event (NOT the one that happens at high H&M score) is the biggest obstacle in the mission, especially if you get it stacked with a gestapo officer spawn. Or if it happens early in the mission. Going to be nauseating to deal with, every single time. Mostly due to Edertal's size and navigational difficulty. Just gotta deal with it the best you can.

5.) That big lake in the middle looks like a reason to buy the motorpool/raft every single game, but you don't have to. Not at all. Don't stare at it on the minimap and let it get under your skin. 3 patrols--1 of elites for the main urban/civilian island, and 2 of regulars patrolling the west/south sides of the map. Will work every time.

6.) If the OSS Agent becomes available, for the love of god--buy him for this map. Upgrade your polizei, as they'll generally be fighting on open ground where they need their SMG. Mainly, you want the OSS Agent to help you capture subversives during the late game. They'll be across the *entire* map, and your Officer simply can't get around by himself to deal with them all. If you can't get the OSS Agent, you'll probably have to kill several subversives in order to win.

7.) This is another mission/map where I like to buy T1 equipment at the start, and buy a ranger with the first supply truck. Send the ranger and officer to the main island on the other side of the map, where they'll stay for most of the game other than coming back for ammo and gear. Use 3 troopers to patrol the informant barrels around the main supply route, and build up another patrol for sweeping the southern informant barrels. You will need to use the officer and ranger to sweep the southeast quadrant on occasion, until you get that 3rd patrol running.

Polizei plus militia can also help lock down a quadrant, so that you can mostly only run 2 patrols instead of 3. Or atleast turn 1 patrol into a single elite infantryman, to support your polizei. You'll definitely be needing atleast the Meal Facility sustainment upgrade at some point, as it's a long run to secure the south/southeast sectors. You will also need the Medical Tent and T3 equipment sooner than later, because you will absolutely need to run all 3 morphine bags. This covers most of my general strategy for the map.

-Bayerischer Wald:

1.) The subversive travel pattern on this map is tough for unupgraded Polizei. Night time in the brush, they really need their SMGs. Get the OSS Agent and upgrade your Polizei, if at all possible.

2.) Not a lot of civilians on this map, and it's generally crawling with enemies during/after every night. Be extremely thoughtful of how/when you plan to use something like humanitarian aid, or anything else relying on civilian proximity.

3.) This is a defensive-themed mission. For most playthroughs, you will need to spend more heavily into defensive items, structures, and units than normal. This can set you behind a bit if you like to build/purchase aggressively, and you'll need to adjust. Economy and build order will need to be adjusted to this mission/map.

4.) The special event is only slightly less of a headache than Edertal's, though not nearly as potentially game-ending. At this point, you should probably start coming to terms with the fact that there'll most likely never be another mission as easy as Sipplingen or Deggendorf.

5.) Though it's particularly risky on this map, I still like to try going T1 equipment rack and 1x Ranger with my first supply truck. Use him and the Officer with a pair of M1A1 carbines to patrol the Eastern half of the map. Regulars lock down the Western half. Then I focus on bolstering my FOB defense a bit (mostly by getting light sources up, concertina wire, and 2x machinegunners), and getting access to a second morphine bag.

6.) Generally speaking, you will run into heavily equipped enemies on this map more often than the others. At this time, "the others" being Sipplingen, Deggendorf, and Edertal. They can really hurt you up close at night or in bad weather, in the dense forestry/hills. You will need to focus down enemy machinegunners quite often in close quarters.

7.) Most (but not all) of the enemy vehicle spawns on this map are patrols. Doesn't hurt to drop a couple of AT mines here and there.

8.) In the rough terrain at night and/or in bad weather, you better watch your combat patrols *closely*. Be ready to react to suicide bombers and turncoat civilians when you hear their voice lines.

9.) Can't reiterate this enough. You will need to babysit your Polizei on this map much more than normal. Whether they're upgraded or not. The terrain is rough, the enemy is simply stronger and/or more numerous overall.

10.) You still can, and frankly you still have to use all your normal methods of boosting H&M on this map the same as you would any other. In the end-game, you may need to break your Officer off with the Interpreter and send him to the town in the Northeastern quadrant to boost H&M. Probably even your OSS Agent, if you have him. You will probably still need to use humanitarian aid, and you still need to get Polizei saturation going. But you will need to consider when you bring these out and how you use them more carefully, and you will need to protect them once they're in-field. If you can't, you'll most likely end up losing.

11.) This goes for any map, but be really careful about sweeping subversive mines out of civilian areas. If you go patrolling through and step on them, you can easily kill civilians by accident. And pretty much every map has a subversive mining pattern that puts them in such locations.

12.) One up-side to the low civilian count, especially on the Western half of the map, is that you can go ham with the Radio Pack fire support call-ins. You can mine enemy patrol routes into oblivion. Of course, this requires MP, on a map where you generally spend more cash than usual due to the aggressive enemy. But in the late game, you'll have it to throw around like normal.

13.) I'd skip the molotovs and napalm strikes on this map. Pretty obvious.

Overall, this map/mission design just throws together a bunch of features that make survival tougher for you and allied units. The terrain and lack of areas with lights, the low civilian population to manipulate, the more-numerous and better-equipped enemies. Prepare to practice this map a lot.

Ignoring special events for a second, here is a generally winning strategy.

1. Get your combat capabilities where you want them. This means weapons, night gear, player controlled personnel. Decide at this stage how many and what size and type of units your patrols are going to be. There is a variety of options, and nearly all of them can work well if used well. Your three basic roles are going to be a) combat, b) subversive herding, and c) supporting your allied AI (QRF actions). Squads can double-task on these, and, depending on the map, you could have even one guy running around as a "squad". You'll also need to consider exhuastion and night operations.

* As an alternative to the usual T1 weapons rack being the first purchase, I have pulled off many a win with getting the aid station first, especially on densely populated maps. I usually pair this with an early Polizei rush, and actually wont get T1 weapons until I have half-decent polezei coverage. I steal stuff and suck it up with crap weapons until then.

* Anywhere below 40% H&M, your main focus should be combat and keeping enemies off the map. This is NOT a good time to be worried about anything that doesn't drive towards this specific goal

2. (20-30 Minutes in)Get _something_ to deal with subversives. This can be the prisoner housing or the terp. The terp by himself is not as good at this, but he comes with enough other bonuses and helpful stuff that it balances out.

3. (>50% H&M recommended before starting this) Start posting polizei. I do groups of 2-3, starting at key locations like bridges, where subversives are likely to pass. Do your best to give them some cover, maybe even build sandbags. Be sure to distro them around the map, dont just huddle them around your base or one area, as their effect won't be nearly as good.

4. (>60% H&M, and your polizei effects are starting to pay dividends) Its time to get a global intel source to save patrol times. The terp does nicely, as does the base radio station. You'll also want to boost your subversive counter-measures with either the psyops tower for the terp or the dog or LL shotgun for capturing. If you don't have it yet, get the aid station ASAP at this point as well.

5. (60-80% H&M) At this point you should have a vetted squad with decent guns that can mostly handle combat on their own. Single click their movements so they'll stop to engage anything they run into and you won't have to babysit them a whole heck of a lot. Your officer-squad should be herding subversives around, this will be your mainstay, and your QRF is standing by to help out polizei that get into trouble.

6. (>80% H&M) At this point you'll need to pull out all the stops. Psyops tower, eco advisors, and humanitarian aid. Focus on getting subversives converted or captured as they come out of the woodwork at this stage of gameplay. Enemy spawns will be rare, so you can afford to neglect combat and QRF duties to some extent.

So, I covered the three roles of squads, let's talk about composition optoins/recommendations:

Combat:
No less than 3, definetly a morphine bag. I actually don't usually get MGs, they are just too heavy and not needed 99% of the time IMO. You'll want flares for night combat (even if you have flashlights). 1x rifle, 1x SMG, and 1x carbine. In the VERY rare case I get a vehicle, it is a jeep, and this squad gets it. It also never ever ever gets driven on roads.

Officer:
At least two, preferably 3, definetly a morphine bag. You'll also want to keep the NCO with this squad unless you have pretty complete polizei coverage or you plan on using the psyops intel boost with the terp to spot subversives. Or you want to spend A LOT of time spotting them manually. The outpost can be a good tool for this squad, as the officer can run around dealing with the subs while the rest of the squad hangs out and spots potential subversives and is ready to come help him if he needs it.

Optionally: Put the officer on a horse, and get the dog. The officer can double task as QRF. This is a bit riskier, but often works out.

QRF:
Two great tools for this are the horse and the outpost. The horse grants the mobility to get to the action quickly, and the outpost lets the guy(s) hang out outside the base without getting exhuasted. In general, I always use one or both of these if I have a dedicated QRF "squad" (which is often just one regular SMG guy with a stolen STG44). He's gonna need a morphine pack once you have the aid station upgrade in order to be useful for that, but even just getting some more firepower to the scene is enough to prevent the need for this. QRF with a horse is also useful for supporting your own troops, even little things like delivering newly unlocked equipment, or carrying a supply smoke to bail out exhuasted troops. This squad is usually the only one with a mine detector.

Additional notes:
- Position outposts to fill as many roles as possible. Near chokepoints, roads, likely mining sites (chokepoints), informants, allied AI. Troops can make quick dashes from these outposts to do things without gaining exhuastion.

- The radio pack is heavy. The officer gets it most of the time since he has the best stamina, but I do sometimes give it to QRF on a horse since weight won't matter there.