

 Advance Wars: Critical Character Comparison guide (v. 1.8)

 by Uiru (uiru@cephiro.com)
 Created 10/31/01


 The purpose of this guide is to clarify the vauge differences 
between the individual Commanding Officers' (CO's) abilities. For 
example, Sami has the best infantry, Grit is the master marksman and 
Kanbei is good at everything. How do they stack up? Sami and Kanbei's
soldiers are actually the same strength, and Kanbei's long-range 
attacks are superior to Grit's. However, then you get into the 
details, like how Grit's CO Power cranks his shooter units far 
past anything Kanbei could ever hope to accomplish. If you have not 
gone through the Campaign Mode at least once, I suggest you do so 
before reading, as there are many game and story spoilers ahead.

 (I do not have access to Nell, so information on her will not be as 
indepth as the others.)

 Table of Contents:
 1. Updates

 2. General Information
 i. Hiring COs
 ii. Activating CO Powers
 iii. Terrain Defence
 iv. Hire Sturm VS Campaign Sturm

 3. Commanding Officers
 i. Andy
 ii. Max
 iii. Sami
 iv. Olaf
 v. Grit
 vi. Kanbei
 vii. Sonja
 viii. Eagle
 ix. Drake
 x. Sturm
 xi. Nell

 4. Unit Information
 i. Soldier class
 ii. Direct class
 iii. Long class
 iv. Transports
 v. Movement/Vision/Attack Range list
 vi. Weather Effects

 5. Other Information 
 i. Health and Damage
 ii. Damage Chart
 iii. Calculating Damage

 6. Credits, legal



 ~1. Updates~


Dec. 13, 2001- Eagle and Sturm added. Unit information added. Guide 
               'cleaned up', some sections rearranged. 
Dec. 8, 2001- Been a while. Changes have been made to unit class
              rankings. A 'Battle Chart' has been added, as well
              as information about determining the damage done while
              considering a number of different variables. 
Nov. 4, 2001- Fixed descriptions of Tsunami and Double Time. Begun
              adding defencive stats. Added information on HP and
              effects of weather on movement range.
Nov. 1, 2001- Added a few tidbits on Drake. Begun game again; will 
              have Eagle shortly.
Oct. 31, 2001- Began guide. Gathered a ton of information while 
               shelling out candy. 



 ~2. General Information~

 There are a few things you should know about how Advance Wars 
operates before we get into the CO's.

 First of all, all units can be classified into one of three classes- 
Soldier, Direct, or Long. By land, by air or by sea, everything falls
into these comprehensive categories. Soldier class contains Infantry 
and Mech. Direct is anything that can attack immediately after 
moving; Tanks, Cruisers, Fighters, etc. Long is anything that has an 
attack range. Battleships, Missiles, and Artillery are all Long 
class.

 Each character has a certain ranking in these three areas. All of 
Max's Long units, for example, are weak, while all of his Direct 
units are extremely strong. Though the game gives the impression 
that it only affects tanks, Max's superior strength affects his Subs 
and Bombers and everything else just as much as his Mid Tanks. This 
is because they are all Direct. To keep things simple, the rankings 
will be given as percentages, with Andy's ratings being 100%. Sami's 
Soldiers are 120%, meaning they'll do 20% more damage than Andy's 
corresponding Soldiers will do. Meanwhile, her Direct units are 
90%. They'll only do 90% of the damage Andy's units can do. This 
will allow you to easily compare the differing abilities of the 
CO's. However, the CO's CO Power Bonuses are based off their own 
rankings. Max's +24% is a 24% increase on 150%, for 186% the damage
Andy's tanks could do.

 Unit attributes is another issue. Though several CO's units all move
the same way, there are a few differences. Drake's ships can all move
one space farther than all other CO's ships. Grit's Long class units 
can shoot an extra space. These differences will be noted with the 
characters and the general list will be included at the end of this 
guide.

 ~i. Hiring COs~

 It seems you can hire Kanbei simply by finishing Campaign Mode. 
Drake or Eagle can be hired by using Andy or Sami (respectively) 
for the four Green Earth missions. Getting Grit is as simple as 
using Max on Mission 4. And Sturm appears after purchasing 
everyone else (you don't need to go through Campaign Mode again
just for him). 

 (Thanks to robtracy@mediaone.net for this intel.)

 Meanwhile, Sonja can only be hired if you unlock her secret missions 
during Campaign Mode. You have to score at least A on all three of 
Kanbei's levels to do it. Beat the first in 8 days, the second in 10 
and the third in 12 and you should be whisked off to the cutie's 
testing ground.

 (Thanks to 'me budday' Fergo for the dates.) 


 ~ii. Activating CO Powers~

 Your CO Power Bar fills up as your units deal and take damage. It 
appears that taking damage fills it up much faster than dealing it. 
In addition, losing some units fills it up faster than others. Grit, 
for example, has to lose ~150 HP worth of Infantry to trigger Snipe 
Attack, but only ~20 HP worth of Mid Tank. The HP is what counts- 
losing twenty 1 HP Mid Tanks will fill up the bar the same as two 
full health Mid Tanks. Lastly, CO Power Bars will NOT fill at all 
following the activation of a CO Power. If Eagle's Bomber fleet gets 
the pus blown out of it after Lightning Strike, his bar will stay at 
zero until the effects of his CO Power wear off. 

 (This section clearly needs research and will be added to shortly.)


 ~iii. Terrain Defence~

 This guide frequently makes reference to 'Defence levels' or 
'ratings'. A particular unit's defence at any particular time is 
determined by two things; the terrain its standing on and the CO it 
belongs to. Terrain, as you should have noticed by now, ranges from 
zero to four stars in the game. Shoals and roads have none, forests 
have two, mountains four, etc. Each star means the unit takes 10% 
less damage than it normally would.

 Examples are good. Assume that a regular, full health Infantry unit
is standing on the road, which has no stars (and thus, no defence 
bonus) and a regular, full health Mid Tank comes up and blows the 
snot out of it. 105%. (Beaches and bridges also offer no defencive 
bonuses.) If that same Infantry unit had been standing on a plain, 
it would have taken 94% damage instead (and stand a fair chance of 
surviving the attack, albeit just barely). Plains and reefs have one 
star. Forests have two stars. Infantry 'only' take 84% damage here. 
Cities and bases have three, so it'd take 73% from that mean old Mid
Tank. And lastly, Headquarters and mountains have four stars, so 
here, the unit would take 63% damage. 

 Another example is Mid Tanks. The progression from no stars to 
four stars when attacking a regular Mid Tank with a regular Mid 
Tank is: 55%, 49%, 44%, 38%, 33%. (By 'regular' I mean 'not Max, 
not Kanbei, but Andy VS Andy'. Andy is always used as the 'other' 
guy when testing units.) 

 Occasionally in this guide, you will see reference to 'automatic 
defence levels'. Max has a -1 defence level on all his Indirect 
units, so attacking one of his Rockets in a forest is just like 
attacking one of Andy's Rockets on a plain. One or two defence 
levels either way equals one or two stars that you don't see in
the game, but they do count when determining damage.


 ~iv. Hire Sturm VS Campaign Sturm~

 While Sturm is available to be played in War Room and VS matches, 
his abilities are staggeringly different. The Campaign Mode Sturm 
does 8 damage with Meteor Strike, and has +20% Offence and -20% 
Defence- the reverse of Hire Sturm. Could Hire Sturm be a modified 
clone of the real Sturm? Or is Campaign Sturm the clone?



 ~3. Commanding Officers~


 ~i. Andy~

 Orange Star CO

 Soldier Strengh: 100%
 Direct Strength: 100%
 Long Strength: 100%

 CO POWER: "Hyper Repair"

 Hyper Repair restores two HP to every unit under Andy's command. 
Note that the units' HP will not rise above ten. Hyper Repair is one 
of the more useful powers, as it not only increases the longetivity 
of Andy's units, but indirectly increases their power as well, as 
higher HP means more damage done.

 Soldier Bonus: +10%
 Direct Bonus: +10%
 Long Bonus: +10%

 PROS: Andy has no real cons.

 CONS: He's a dork and I hate the sight of him.


 ~ii. Max~

 Orange Star CO

 Soldier Strength: 100%
 Direct Strength: 150%
 Long Strength: 90%

 CO POWER: "Max Force"

 Max Force greatly increases the power of Max's Direct units, and 
gives them an extra movement space.

 Soldier Bonus: +10%
 Direct Bonus: +24%
 Long Bonus: +10%

 PROS: Max is a brute and his Direct units can usually blow away 
everything in their path, even without benefit of Max Force. Get that
on the go and let the tanks roll where they will.

 CONS: Max's Long units leave much to be desired. Not only are they 
weak, but their range is shorter than all other Long units. His 
Artillery is pretty much useless as it can only attack units that 
are exactly two spaces away. On top of all that, his longrange units 
have a -1 defence rating. 

 ATTRIBUTE DATA: Max's Artillery, Rockets, Missiles, and Battleships
all have -1 on the outer value of their range. All of Max's Direct 
units gain +1 movement during Max Force.


 ~iii. Sami~

 Orange Star CO

 Soldier Strength: 120%
 Direct Strength: 90%
 Long Strength: 100%

 CO POWER: "Double Time"

 Double Time gives Sami's Soldier units a movement cost of 1 over any
kind of terrain (except Sea) and in any kind of weather, and also 
increases their movement range by 1. Their strength is also 
increased. 

 Soldier Bonus: +28%
 Direct Bonus: +10%
 Long Bonus: +10%

 PROS: On top of being cute, Sami's Infantry and Mech units capture 
bases 50% faster than any other CO's. Sami is the only CO who can 
capture a property in two turns with less than perfect Health. Her 
transport units can move an extra space. Her Soldier units also 
have an automatic defence level of one. 

 CONS: Sami's Direct unit strength is a little poor. 

 ATTRIBUTE DATA: Sami's APC, Lander and Transport Copter units can 
move an extra space. Her Infantry and Mech can move another space 
under Double Time. Her Cruisers are not affected, even though they
can carry helicopters. 


 ~iv. Olaf~

 Blue Moon CO

 Soldier Strength: 1.00
 Direct Strength: 1.00
 Long Strength: 1.00

 CO POWER: "Blizzard"

 Olaf makes it snow for a turn. This is not a popular ability; it's 
really only useful for slowing your opponents down for one turn. It 
will also hinder any of Olaf's teammates in VS or War Room battles.

 Soldier Bonus: +10%
 Direct Bonus: +10%
 Long Bonus: +10%

 PROS: Olaf is not affected by snow, which increases the movement 
cost for all other units by 1. It doesn't sound like much, but 
several units, especially those on treads and tires, will be 
practically immobilized by snow. And like Andy, he doesn't have any 
offencive weaknesses.

 CONS: Olaf is affected by rain moreso than the other CO's. However, 
rain only affects his Infantry (not Mechs), ships, and planes. 
Everything else is slowed down only as much as everything else is 
slowed down. I also find his music to be especially annoying. 


 ~v. Grit~

 Blue Moon CO

 Soldier Strength: 80%
 Direct Strength: 80%
 Long Strength: 100%

 CO POWER: "Snipe Attack"

 Snipe Attack increases the power and range of his Long class units 
to disgusting levels. 

 Soldier Bonus: +10%
 Direct Bonus: +10%
 Long Bonus: +64%

 PROS: Grit's longrange units have an extended range. When his CO 
Power gets going, anything within range of his cannons is going down.
He also looks like an armed Newfoundland fisherman- he gets major
points for that.

 CONS: Grit requires his CO Power to be truly effective. Both his 
soldiers and his direct offencives are among the weakest in the game.

 ATTRIBUTE DATA: Grit's Artillery, Rockets, Missiles, and Battleships
have an extra attack space. They gain two more spaces during Snipe 
Attack. 


 ~vi. Kanbei~

 Yellow Comet CO

 Soldier Strength: 120%
 Direct Strength: 120%
 Long Strength: 120%

 CO POWER: "Morale Boost"

 Morale Boost is like Max Force, only it works for everything. Does 
this guy have a flaw?!

 Soldier Bonus: +17%
 Direct Bonus: +17%
 Long Strength: +17%

 PROS: Great at everything. Morale Boost gives every single one of 
his troops yet another boost. Kanbei is also quite strong 
defencively; assume that his units start with a defence rating of 
two. 

 CONS: Interestingly enough, his units are 20% stronger than normal 
units, and they cost 20% more as well. Infantry go for 1200, Mechs 
for 3600, etc. This can get pricey.


 ~vii. Sonja~

 Yellow Comet CO

 Soldier Strength: 100%
 Direct Strength: 100%
 Long Strength: 100%

 CO POWER: "Enhanced Vision"

 All of Sonja's units can see farther in Fog of War. Units hidden in
forests and reefs can be seen. 

 Soldier Bonus: +10%
 Direct Bonus: +10%
 Long Bonus: +10%

 PROS: *swoon* I love Sonja! She's cute, sweet, smart, shy, a bit of 
a nerd, and deadly lethal. What more do you want? Sonja has the 
interesting ability to keep her units' HP hidden from her opponents 
at all times. Though you can count the number of units remaining 
during the animations (which I usually have turned off) you'll still 
be left guessing. The HP of a unit can be extremely important, as a 
Mech can finish off an Anti-Aircraft Gun, but if it's at high health,
the Mech will be slaughtered. Her units also have larger vision 
ranges. And her music is so elegant and refined!

 CONS: Sonja suffers from chronic bad luck. What this means is that 
although Sonja's attack ratings are equal with those of Andy and Olaf
and the like, they will usually do less damage than the game says. 
There are some cases where 103% isn't enough to finish off an 
Infantry, for example. A good rule of thumb is to always round down, 
and playing to the worst-case scenario means knocking 10% off the 
value the game gives you. Sonja's CO Power and abilities are also 
100% useless on maps without Fog of War. All it can do for you is 
the very slight attack bonuses. 

 ATTRIBUTE DATA: Every single one of Sonja's units has +1 vision 
range. It is increased by 2 more with Enhanced Vision. 


 ~viii. Eagle~

 Green Earth CO

 Soldier Strength: 100%
 Direct Strength: 100%
 Long Strength: 100%

 CO POWER: "Lightning Strike"

 This is evil. All of Eagle's non-Soldier class units that have 
moved, attacked, or been ordered to Wait can move again. This 
includes units that have just been produced in factories. 

 Soldier Bonus: -20%
 Direct Bonus: -20%
 Long Bonus: -20%

 PROS: Eagle's aircraft are 15% stronger than normal aircraft, and 
they consume much less fuel than normal. His Fighters and Bombers 
use 3 units a day instead of 5 and his helicopters don't use any 
(they normally use 2). They also have an automatic defence rating 
of one star.

 CONS: Eagle's ships do 20% less damage. During the turn after 
Lightning Strike, Eagle's units take 30% more damage than usual.


 ~ix. Drake~

 Green Earth CO

 Soldier Strength: 100%
 Direct Strength: 100%
 Long Strength: 100%

 CO POWER: "Tsunami"

 All enemy units take 1 HP damage, but will not destroy units 
already at 1 HP. In Fog of War, Tsunami will show you the location 
of everything on the map, although your units will still need intel 
to be able to fire on them.

 Soldier Bonus: +10%
 Direct Bonus: +10%
 Long Bonus: +10%

 PROS: Not affected at all by rain, which happens frequently when 
Drake is around. Also not affected any worse than any other CO in the
snow. His ships can move farther than your average CO's, and have an 
automatic defence rating of two stars.

 CONS: Drake's planes are 20% weaker than normal planes. To look at 
it another way, assume that the enemy unit has an additional two 
defence rating stars when using his planes. You're probably better
off keeping to the seas.

 ATTRIBUTE DATA: Battleships, Cruisers, Landers and Submarines all 
have +1 movement range. 


 ~x. Sturm~

 Black Hole CO

 Soldier Strength: 80%
 Direct Strength: 80%
 Long Strength: 80%

 CO POWER: "Meteor Strike"

 All units in a 5x5 cross lose 4 HP. Meteor Strike cannot be aimed 
and will damage Sturm's own units. It seems to go after the highest 
concentration of enemy forces, seeking to do the most damage it can. 
Meteor Strike will not destroy units.

 Soldier Bonus: +12%
 Direct Bonus: +12%
 Long Bonus: +12%

 PROS: All units always have movement ranges of 1 over any kind of 
terrain (that it could traverse in the first place- we aren't talking
Gold Chocobo style Mid Tanks running up mountains here). Is not 
affected at all by rain, but is slowed down by snow just like other 
COs. Every one of his units has an automatic defence rating of two; 
just like Kanbei's.

 CONS: VS and War Room Sturm requires much more strategy to be 
effective than Campaign Mode Sturm would have. You cannot aim Meteor 
Strike, meaning your opponent could try to divert it with a block of 
useless Infantry just like you do in Campaign Mode. 


 ~xi. Nell~

 Orange Star CO

I have heard very little about Nell, and I'm not even sure if she's 
really available for hire. It is said that you have to finish Advance
Campaign to be allowed to use her. Considering I took one look at 
Advance Campaign and decided to sweep the regular game with all S 
ranks before going back, it'll be a while before I know for sure. 
(Incidentally, I've gotten S ranks with Andy on every single level, 
except for the last two against Sturm. I'm gonna sweep with Sami 
next, and most likely pick up Eagle on the way.)

 PROS: Nell is said to be extremely lucky; as in, her units will do 
more damage than what the game says. She's also cute when she's 
angry.

 CONS: If you have to finish freaking Advance Campaign to get her, 
Nell better not have any cons worth talking about. :)



 ~3. Unit Information~

 This is the data on each of the 18 unit types in the game.

 NAME
 Cost: How much the unit costs to deploy.
 Unit Type: Vehicles, Planes, Helicopters, Submarines, etc.
 Traverses: Where it moves.
 Movement Type: How it moves. Tires, Treads, etc.
 Movement Range: How many spaces it can move in one turn.
 Vision Range: How far it can see in Fog of War.
 Attack Range: For indirects only. How far the unit can shoot.
 Fuel: The maximum capacity of fuel the unit holds.
 Main Weapon: The main weapon. All main weapons have limited rounds.
 Sub Weapon: Sub Weapons are limitless.
 Description: A short description.


 ~i. Soldier Class~

 INFANTRY
 Cost: 1000
 Unit Type: Inf
 Traverses: Land
 Movement Type: Inf
 Movement Range: 3
 Vision Range: 2
 Fuel: 99 

 [Fuel (well, rations in this case) is consumed at a rate of one unit
per space. Land-based units do not use fuel when they aren't moving.]

 Main Weapon: None
 Sub Weapon: Machine Gun
 Description: Cheap but almost useless in battle. Enough of them 
could stop a Transport Copter or an indirect-attack unit, but their 
only real purpose in life is to capture the HQ and divert Mid Tank 
fire.

 MECH
 Cost: 3000
 Unit Type: Inf
 Traverses: Land
 Movement Type: Mch
 Movement Range: 2
 Vision Range: 2
 Fuel: 70
 Main Weapon: Bazooka (3 rounds)
 Sub Weapon: Machine Gun
 Description: Effective against most land-based units. Can also 
capture bases, but works best with an APC.


 ~ii. Direct Class~

 MID TANK
 Cost: 16000
 Unit Type: Veh
 Traverses: Land
 Movement Type: Trd
 Movement Range: 5
 Vision Range: 1
 Fuel: 50
 Main Weapon: Cannon (8 rounds)
 Sub Weapon: Machine Gun
 Description: The strongest land-based unit. Mid Tanks can take a 
ton of damage and keep dishing it out. Their only real concern is 
indirect fire.

 TANK
 Cost: 7000
 Unit Type: Veh
 Traverses: Land
 Movement Type: Trd
 Movement Range: 6
 Vision Range: 3
 Fuel: 70
 Main Weapon: Cannon (9 rounds)
 Sub Weapon: Machine Gun
 Description: Cheaper and easier to move around than the Mid Tank, 
but not as powerful. Still tough against bullets.

 RECON
 Cost: 4000
 Unit Type: Veh
 Traverses: Land
 Movement Type: Tyr
 Movement Range: 8
 Vision Range: 5
 Fuel: 80
 Main Weapon: None
 Sub Weapon: Machine Gun
 Description: Very weak. Good only for recon during Fog of War, and 
for attacking indirect fire units. They do a fair amount of damage 
and have the ability to slip in under their attack ranges (most of 
the time). 

 AA GUN
 Cost: 8000
 Unit Type: Veh
 Traverses: Land
 Movement Type: Trd
 Movement Range: 6
 Vision Range: 2
 Fuel: 60
 Main Weapon: Vulcan (9 rounds)
 Sub Weapon: None
 Description: AA Guns do heavy damage against Soldier and Long class 
units, as well as aircraft. However, their weapons are just about 
useless on tanks. 

 FIGHTER
 Cost: 20000
 Unit Type: Plane
 Traverses: Air
 Movement Type: Air
 Movement Range: 9
 Vision Range: 2
 Fuel: 99 

 [In addition to using one unit of fuel per space moved, Fighters 
and Bombers use 5 per turn, even if they stay still. All other air 
and ocean units use two per turn.]

 Main Weapon: Missiles (9 rounds)
 Sub Weapon: None
 Description: Used to eliminate other air units. They're quite good 
at this, but once the air units are gone, their only use is as 
roadblocks.

 BOMBER
 Cost: 22000
 Unit Type: Plane
 Traverses: Air
 Movement Type: Air
 Movement Range: 7
 Vision Range: 2
 Fuel: 99
 Main Weapon: Bombs (9 rounds)
 Sub Weapon: None
 Description: Bombers are like Mid Tanks in that they annihilate 
pretty much anything that gets in their way. The only thing that 
can stop them from the ground is AA guns and Missile units, and 
neither of these can take a shot from a healthy Bomber. Helpless
against Fighters, though.

 BATTLE COPTER
 Cost: 9000
 Unit Type: Cptr
 Traverses: Air
 Movement Type: Air
 Movement Range: 6
 Vision Range: 3
 Fuel: 99
 Main Weapon: Missiles (6 rounds)
 Sub Weapon: Machine Gun
 Description: While not lethal against anything in particular, 
Battle Copters can attack any unit type other than Planes and aren't 
as expensive as some other units. 

 CRUISER
 Cost: 18000
 Unit Type: Ship
 Traverses: Ocean
 Movement Type: Shp
 Movement Range: 6
 Vision Range: 3
 Fuel: 99
 Main Weapon: Missiles
 Sub Weapon: AA Machine Gun
 Description: A modified Machine Gun allows Cruiser units to destroy 
Copter units, as well as damage Planes. Crusiers can only fire on 
Submarines, but they are the only units other than Subs that can 
fire on them while they are submerged. Cruisers can also carry two 
Copter type units.

 SUBMARINE
 Cost: 20000
 Unit Type: Sub
 Traverses: Ocean
 Movement Type: Shp
 Movement Range: 5
 Vision Range: 5
 Fuel: 60 

 [Subs use 5 units of fuel while submerged. They can't dive or rise 
on the same turn that they attack. If a sub is underwater when 
another sub tries to join with it, both will rise.]

 Main Weapon: Torpedoes
 Sub Weapon: None
 Description: Can only fire on Ships and Subs, but their large 
vision range and ability to hide underwater make them useful and 
difficult to eliminate. 


 ~iii. Long Class~

 ARTILLERY
 Cost: 6000
 Unit Type: Veh
 Traverses: Land
 Movement Type: Trd
 Movement Range: 5
 Vision Range: 1
 Attack Range: 2-3
 Fuel: 50
 Main Weapon: Cannon (9 rounds)
 Sub Weapon: None
 Description: While not as powerful as Rockets and with less range, 
Artillery are easier to move and cheaper to produce.

 ROCKETS
 Cost: 15000
 Unit Type: Veh
 Traverses: Land
 Movement Type: Tyr
 Movement Range: 5
 Vision Range: 1
 Attack Range: 3-5
 Fuel: 50
 Main Weapon: Cannon (6 rounds)
 Sub Weapon: None
 Description: Rockets do much more damage to naval units than 
Artillery can. They are tough to move off road.

 MISSILES
 Cost: 12000
 Unit Type: Veh
 Traverses: Land
 Movement Type: Tyr
 Movement Range: 4
 Vision Range: 5
 Attack Range: 3-5
 Fuel: 50
 Main Weapon: Missiles (6 rounds)
 Sub Weapon: None
 Description: Will severely weaken or destroy all air units, 
however, they can't fire on anything else. Their Vision Range is 
unusually high for a Long class unit.

 BATTLESHIP
 Cost: 28000
 Unit Type: Ship
 Traverses: Ocean
 Movement Type: Shp
 Movement Range: 5
 Vision Range: 2
 Attack Range: 2-6
 Fuel: 99
 Main Weapon: Cannon (9 rounds)
 Sub Weapon: None
 Description: The most powerful Long range unit is also the most 
expensive, however, its worth it. It boasts good movement, the 
largest attack range in the game, and the maximum alloted fuel 
supply. As a ship, it is also very difficult to deal with sans Subs 
or Bombers. It can fire on Land or Ocean units, and anything it hits 
won't be happy about it.


 ~iv. Transports~

 APC
 Cost: 5000
 Unit Type: Veh
 Traverses: Land
 Movement Type: Trd
 Movement Range: 6
 Vision Range: 1
 Fuel: 70
 Description: APCs do not engage other units. Instead, they are used 
supportively. Their applications are threefold: one, they draw enemy 
fire like you wouldn't believe. Two, they transport Soldier class 
units to the HQ easily, and help take the heat off them by drawing 
fire and blocking the way. Three, they have an endless supply of 
fuel and ammo- any unit located next to an APC will get its fuel and 
ammo reloaded. 

 TRANSPORT COPTER
 Cost: 5000
 Unit Type: Cptr
 Traverses: Air
 Movement Type: Air
 Movement Range: 6
 Vision Range: 2
 Fuel: 99
 Description: Can carry one Soldier class unit.

 LANDER
 Cost: 12000
 Unit Type: Ship
 Traverses: Ocean
 Movement Type: Trn
 Movement Range: 6
 Vision Range: 1
 Fuel: 99
 Description: Can carry two of any land-based unit.
  
 
 ~v. Movement Ranges, Vision Ranges, Attack Ranges~

 For reference, here is the basic data for all types of units in the 
game. Refer to the CO Data to see if there are any differences.
 Name / Movement / Vision / Attack
 Infantry:  3   2
 Mech:      2   2
 Mid Tank:  5   1
 Tank:      6   3
 Recon:     8   5
 APC:       6   1
 Artil'ry:  5   1  (2-3)
 Rockets:   5   1  (3-5)
 Anti-Air:  6   2
 Missiles:  4   5  (3-5)
 Fighter:   9   2
 Bomber:    7   2
 B Copter:  6   3
 T Copter:  6   2
 Btl.ship:  5   2  (2-6)
 Cruiser:   6   3
 Lander:    6   1
 Sub:       5   5


 ~vi. Weather Effects~

 These are the movement ranges over all terrain types, and how 
weather affects them. For each column, the first number is Clear,
the second Rain and the third Snow.

 Terrain / Clear / Rain / Snow
      Inf Mch Tyr Trd Trn Shp Air
Sea    -   -   -   -  112 112 112
Reef   -   -   -   -  222 222 112
River 222 111  -   -   -   -  112
Mt.   224 112  -   -   -   -  112
Road  111 111 111 111  -   -  112
Brdg  111 111 111 111  -   -  112
Plain 112 111 233 122  -   -  112
Wood  112 111 344 233  -   -  112
Airport, Base, City, Headquarters
      111 111 111 111  -   -  111
Shoal 111 111 111 111 111  -  112
Port  111 111 111 111 112 112 112



 ~4. Other Information~

 ~i. Health and Damage~

 Up until now, all the percentages quoted in this guide have assumed 
that the attacker is at full HP. But what happens if a unit is 
damaged when it goes up against something? Interestingly enough, the 
damage done falls in 10% increments as your HP goes down just as the 
damage you do falls by 10% as the defence rating goes up. 

 On roads, a full health Mid Tank will do 55% damage to another Mid 
Tank. At 8 HP, it will do 44%. 4 HP, 22%. 2 HP, 11%. See the 
pattern? The damage done drops by 5.5% for each HP lost, which is 
10% of the original damage. But keep in mind that the remaining HP 
of your opponent makes absolutely no difference in how much damage 
you do to it. The tank at 2 HP will do 11% damage to every Mid Tank 
it finds on the roads, whether it's at 10 or 2 HP. However, the 
remaining HP WILL have a factor in how much damage your unit takes 
back. If you use a full health Mid Tank to knock a full health Mid 
Tank to 4 HP, it'll do 4 HP's worth of damage back- 22%. The 
attacker always goes first, so if it can destroy its target 
entirely, it'll get off scot free. 

 This is why it's always a good idea to attack from the best defence 
point possible. If you can run a Mech up a mountain to fire on a 
Tank, the Mech will take much less damage than it would on the 
ground. The Tank will take the same amount of damage no matter what, 
but your Mech will be in much better shape. 


 ii. Damage Chart

 This will give you an idea of how much damage your units will do. It
was done Andy VS Andy and on roads (no Defence Terrian bonus). 
Remember that all damages are relative- as you can see, Andy's Mid
Tank does 105% to an Infantry. Max's Mid Tank would do 150% that 
value, or 157%. Grit's Mid Tank would do 80%- 84%. You get the idea.

     INFT MECH MTNK TANK RCON APC* ARTL RCKT AAGN  
INFT  55%  45%   1%   5%  12%  14%  15%  25%   5%
MECH  65%  55%  15%  55%  85%  75%  70%  85%  65%
MTNK 105%  95%  55%  85% 105% 105% 105% 105% 105%

TANK  75%  70%  15%  55%  85%  75%  70%  85%  65%
RCON  70%  65%   1%   6%  35%  45%  45%  55%   4%
APC*   X    X    X    X    X    X    X    X    X

ARTL  90%  85%  45%  70%  80%  70%  75%  80%  75% 
ROKT  95%  90%  55%  80%  90%  80%  80%  85%  85%
AAGN 105% 105%  10%  25%  60%  50%  50%  55%  45%

MISL   X    X    X    X    X    X    X    X    X
FIGT   X    X    X    X    X    X    X    X    X
BMBR 110% 110%  95% 105% 105% 105% 105% 105%  95%

BCPR  75%  75%  25%  55%  55%  60%  65%  65%  25%
TCPR   X    X    X    X    X    X    X    X    X
BSHP  95%  90%  55%  80%  90%  80%  80%  85%  85%

CRSR   X    X    X    X    X    X    X    X    X
LNDR   X    X    X    X    X    X    X    X    X
SUBM   X    X    X    X    X    X    X    X    X


     MISL FIGT BMBR BCPR TCPR BSHP CRSR LADR SUBM
INFT  25%   X    X    7%  30%   X    X    X    X
MECH  85%   X    X    9%  35%   X    X    X    X
MTNK 105%   X    X   12%  45%  10%  55%  35%  10%

TANK  85%   X    X   10%  40%   1%   5%  10%   1%
RCON  28%   X    X   10%  40%   X    X    X    X
APC*   X    X    X    X    X    X    X    X    X

ARTL  80%   X    X    X    X   40%  65%  55%  60% 
RCKT  90%   X    X    X    X   55%  85%  60%  85%
AAGN  55%  65%  75% 120% 120%   X    X    X    X

MISL   X  100% 100% 120% 120%   X    X    X    X
FIGT   X   55% 100% 100% 100%   X    X    X    X
BMBR 105%   X    X    X    X   75%  85%  95%  95%

BCPR  65%   X    X   65%  95%  25%  55%  25%  25%
TCPR   X    X    X    X    X    X    X    X    X
BSHP  90%   X    X    X    X   50%  95%  95%  95%

CRSR   X   55%  65% 115% 115%   X    X    X   90%
LNDR   X    X    X    X    X    X    X    X    X
SUBM   X    X    X    X    X   55%  25%  95%  55%


 iii. Calculating Damage

 It's time to bring it all together.

 The first thing you have to do is arrange everything you've got into
two numbers: Offence and Defence. Offence is things like Max's 
natural power boost and CO Power Bonus, which are positive, and the 
number of HP the unit has lost, which is negative. Defence is the 
defence of the other unit. Kanbei would have his natural unit's 
defence ratings as well as that of the terrain the unit is on. 

 An example. Max's half health Mid Tank opens fire on Kanbei's Rocket 
unit parked in a forest. Find the value on the Damage Chart and 
you'll see that the 'base' value is 105%. +50% for Max's attack 
boost: 157%. Now, subtract 20% because the unit is Kanbei's (and has 
+20% Defence) and then take off another 20% because the unit is in 
Woods. Now, cut the value in half because your Mid Tank is at half 
health. This will give you 49% damage. (If you ran the numbers, you'd
find that the value should be 50%, however, the game doesn't seem to 
round numbers the way it should.) Remember, you must subtract the 
second 20% from the new value, and factor in the unit's Health last.



 ~5. Credits/Legal~

 Advance Wars is owned by Nintendo. You know that. I know that. They 
know that. This is a waste of space. This guide, on the other hand, 
is copyright 2001 Uindamu Uiru. Touch it and you will be fed to a 
thousand angry Dunsparce.

 All data in this guide has been collected by myself (with the sole 
exception of, well, everything with a credit). You may not steal it; 
if you must steal it, at least provide me with your home address so 
that I may hunt you down and break your knees. 

 This guide may be posted on your site only if it is 100% unaltered, 
and if proper credit is given to me (Uiru, uiru@cephiro.com). I would
appreciate being informed first.