Capcom STEEL BATTALLION, Manual

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5-7 USING EFFECTIVE TARGET RANGE
One very important aspect of a VT battle is having equipment that
does more damage than the enemy’s and gives you the advantage
in a fight. This is particularly true when your effective targeting
range is farther then the other opponent’s, as you can then "out-
range" them. If you have more range then the enemy, then you
only need to approach far enough to get a shot. If you have a
chance to destroy the enemy without taking damage, you should
use that opportunity to its best advantage. Don’t put your VT or
yourself in unnecessary danger.
5-8 LAND SUPPRESSION ATTACK
Weapons such as the grenade cannon, MLRS and napalm explode
near the surface of the ground and do damage to enemies within
a certain radius. Laying down this "suppression fire" can be a
very effective tactic for dealing with enemies grouped in a
cluster.
5-9 WEAPON CHANGE
One of the key areas where VTs surpass other units is in their
ability to equip a wide variety of different weapons. A VT can
carry 3 main weapons and 3 sub weapons. However, only one of
each can be fired at a time. Choose main and sub weapons by
pressing the
weapon controls button .
5-10 RELOADING MAGAZINE WEAPONS
Some weapons in your arsenal use magazines. Whenever you
need to reload a magazine into the weapon, press the
magazine
change button . Your remaining bullets and number of extra
magazines are listed on the control panel.
WEAPON CHANGE SYSTEM GROUND SUPPRESSION FIRE
Effective range = 400mm
Effective range = 1000mm
Out of range = 1600mm
EFFECTIVE TARGETING RANGE
(270mm Rifle) (0-1500mm)
EFFECTIVE TARGETING RANGE (MK34
Rocket Cannon) (500-1000mm)
Effective range = 600mm
Out of range = 1600mm
Out of range = 300mm
6-1 IN GENERAL
This section explains the basic rules of VT movement on the
battlefield.
Movement is used to hide out of the enemy’s line of sight and to
avoid areas where potential enemies may lay. It should also be
used to avoid areas of concentrated enemy firepower. A pilot
could assume that the enemy will concentrate its VTs on terrain
that is easily manoeuvrable for the VTs, so it should be noted that
fighting in an area that VTs have a hard time adapting to could
actually be advantageous.
When moving through areas where your VT could easily get stuck,
you may need reinforcements from the engineering section.
6-2 USING WEATHER AND TOPOGRAPHY
On the battlefield you should always try to move effectively
though the weather and topography. It is more important to do
that than to worry about coming into contact with the enemy.
A VT, when compared to a walking machine or a tank, may not be
as easily affected by topography. But with its massive size it
stands out and is easily locatable by the enemy.
Try to make good use of the surrounded topography when you
are in a situation where you may come into contact with the
enemy. With the development of energy fields (ECM) in particular,
the importance of using the topography and to have a good line
of sight become all the more important. In these cases, estimating
enemy movement and dodging artillery are areas you must focus
on.
• Forest
Trees are better than anything else at hiding tall VTs. They
also make excellent obstacles for oncoming firepower.
• Exposed Land
There is no cover so you must move around as normal.
• Enclosed Roads/Valleys
Paths that you can move on are limited by valleys, where
possible enemy ambushes could lay in waiting. You must be
very careful here.
Be sure to check out both sides before you enter into one of
these areas. Also, be sure to check for possible land mines
that may have been planted on the path. Finally be careful
of curves in the road or areas that you cannot avoid by
taking detours. Be extremely careful whenever you cross
bridges.
• Rivers
At the present time, a VT’s water proofing/resistance is far
from sufficient. In tests of up to 10 metres of water, VT
movement was manageable. However, immersion in greater
depths leads to water penetration into the various joint
sections and damage to the VT. At 20 metres of water, the VT
breaks down and completely stops. It is essential that you
examine the depth of the water that you are crossing over or
through before proceeding.
SECTION 6. VT MOVEMENT