| “ | Are you impressed with the modifications to my tanks, general? - Kwai, showcasing the Emperor |
” |
The Emperor Overlord Tank was an improved model of the Overlord tank developed and used exclusively by Chinese General Ta Hun Kwai.
Background[]
The child of the 2013 Emperor Program, like the original Overlord, these massive tanks could simply roll over smaller vehicles, crushing them beneath their treads. Armed with twin 140mm cannons, the Emperor Overlord was to be taken very seriously.[1]
General Kwai, knowing the effectiveness of propaganda during battles, modified his Emperor Overlord so that each of them are equipped with a pre-installed Speaker Tower. Unlike the original Overlord, the Emperor, even with the Speaker Tower installed, still has enough room to install a Gattling cannon, improving its effectiveness against both infantry and aircraft. Compared to the regular Overlord, this Gatling Cannon is placed further forward on the tank's chassis, slightly increasing its range. However, the Emperor Overlord cannot be upgraded with a Battle Bunker, possibly due to General Kwai's preference of tanks over infantry.
Upgrades[]
Unit[]
The following upgrade must be purchased individually for each tank.
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Gattling Cannon | When purchased, provides the desired Overlord with a gattling cannon, effective against infantry and aircraft. This cost $1200 per tank. |
Base[]
The following upgrades are purchased at various buildings.
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Chain Guns | Improves the damage output of the Gatling Cannon by 25%. | Purchasable by Ta Hun Kwai and baseline China's War Factory for $1500. |
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Uranium shells | Increased damage of the Emperor Overlord's main gun by 25% and spread residual radiation. | Purchasable by Ta Hun Kwai and baseline China's Nuclear Missile Silo for $2500. |
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Nuclear tanks | Increased the Emperor Overlord's movement speed significantly. | Purchasable by Ta Hun Kwai and baseline China's Nuclear Missile Silo for $2000. |
- Note
- Nuclear Tanks deals 25 Explosion damage within a radius 0-25 and 10 Explosion damage within a radius 25-75 upon death.
- Subliminal Messaging upgrade does not affect the speaker tower of the Emperor Overlord tank.
Tactics[]
Though a fully upgraded Emperor Overlord was quite an expensive investment ($3100 per tank), it featured practically all possible desirable weapons systems. Its default twin main cannons could tear apart enemy armor, and when upgraded with a Gattling cannon, was effective against both infantry and most aircraft. This combination allowed them to work well with other units. A wedge of three or more mutually healing Emperors moving towards one base presented a serious threat.
A fully upgraded Emperor Overlord is probably the most formidable single unit in Generals: it is the most heavily armored, its weapons systems are effective against all types of units, it possesses stealth detection capability, and it can heal nearby friendly forces.
Counters[]
Though the Emperor Overlord was truly a fearsome unit to behold, they were not invincible.
Their main exploitable weaknesses was their slow speed (somewhat nullified by the Nuclear Tanks upgrade) and their less than desirable turret turn speed. They were vulnerable to hit-and-run attacks or those with massive range, since they could not hope to contest the attacker's agility and/or impressive range. GLA Rocket Buggies were especially suitable for this task. The tank's slow turn rate meant that, in most tactical engagements, the enemy vehicle would land the first hit if they attacked from the rear. "Kiting", or the tactic of firing just on the edge of range and moving constantly forward of the Emperor, was a viable method of wearing the heavy tank down.
The Emperor was somewhat vulnerable to aircraft, as the Emperor Overlord's Gattling cannon was simply not effective enough to deal with larger groups of aircraft, and if the general had forgone the upgrade, the Emperor would be forced to rely on nearby escorts for air defense. It was so slow that it was vulnerable to the Aurora's powerful fuel-air bomb. Napalm-armed Chinese MiGs were not as effective against armor; on the other hand, General Tao's, which are armed with nuclear warheads instead, were a decent counter.
Various specialized anti-vehicle support weapons were effective against the Emperor. Jarmen Kell, a specialized sniper working for the GLA, could kill the Emperor's crew without destroying the tank, rendering it inoperative and open to capture. Chinese factions had two effective counters to enemy Emperors. Their ECM Tank was capable of disabling it as long as it maintained contact, though given the Emperor's mass, one ECM tank alone typically was not sufficient. Neutron shell-loaded Nuke Cannons could eliminate groups of these vehicles and their supports with impunity, as long as the Emperor Overlord and its escorts did not get too close.
All American generals had effective counters to the Emperor. General Townes' Laser Crusaders, while less well-armored, dealt the same damage as the Emperor's main cannons, and cost much less, though they would still lose in a one-on-one match. General Alexander's EMP Patriot Missile batteries could disable the tank instantly, leaving it completely inoperable for a short period of time. General Granger could field large fleets of advanced aircraft, and could deploy the specially armed King Raptor or invisible Comanches against the Emperor Overlord, or Combat Chinooks fully loaded with Missile Defenders for strafing attacks. These were especially effective if the player maneuvered them behind the tank, hitting it before it could turn its Gatling Cannon to face them. The Tomahawk launcher also made a good Emperor-killer, since it could fire at very long range and while on the move.
If no aircraft or heavy siege weapons were available, any general could still attempt to drown the Emperor in large numbers of anti-tank armor infantrymen. The Emperor's cannons were strong, but could only target one enemy at a time, and alone usually could not destroy vehicles or rocket-armed infantry fast enough before they themselves were ruined.
However, any fight involving an Emperor Overlord and its related escorts was sure to result in at least a few casualties, and as such the best way to defeat was them was to prevent their deployment in the first place. Sabotaging the tank general's economy or preventing the appropriate structures from being fielded both meant that the general could not deploy these behemoths.
Trivia[]
- The closest humanity has ever gotten to a super tank in military history is one of the World War 2 Wehrmacht Wunderwaffe (wonder-weapon) prototypes. Designated as the Landkreuzer P.1000 Ratte, this tank would supposedly become the heaviest tank created weighing at an approximate 1,000 tonnes, sporting multiple defensive armaments and its main twin-guns turret taken from a naval battleship. However, for obvious practical reasons, it remained only on the drawing boards and never saw production. Such a vehicle would be unable to cross most bridges or muddy terrain and would be restricted to roads, and would be down frequently for maintenance as a result of the stress that its mass would place on internal components.
See also[]
- Overlord Tank, standard Chinese counterpart
References[]
- ↑ Command & Conquer: Generals - Zero Hour manual. Los Angeles, California: Electronic Arts Los Angeles, 2003.
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