Starcraft Broodwar FAQ Cops and Robbers Map Strategy FAQ Written by Kenny "Kenshi" Tam Contact: Kennytam@foxhound.zzn.com ================ Version history: ================ Version 1.0 Written on January 1st, 2002 Started the FAQ. Version 1.1 January 12, 2002 Minor additions Version 1.2 January 25, 2002 Minor Fixes ================= Table of Contents ================= I. Introduction II. Game Mechanics III. General Strategy IV. Map Strategies V. Cheap Nasty Stuff VI. Miscellany VII. Notes and Credits =============== I. Introduction =============== The Cops and Robbers map is a "Use Map Settings" Scenario, in which it is a customized map. Units, upgrades and the overall mechanics of the game are changed. The Map is a popular map, but is starting to appear less and less now and days. There are several versions of the map, but the general aim of the map is still the same. This FAQ was written to give strategies as well as tricks to the game. Most of these I have seen and learnt, mainly from a player called "Asstronauts." And no, I am not him/her, so don't send me hate mail if you get nailed by these tactics or by Asstronauts him/herself. ================== II. Game Mechanics ================== As the name suggests, the purpose of the game is similar to cops and robbers. The robbers have to kill civilians and gain credits to upgrade their unit. The cops can accomplish this feat by killing robbers. If the robbers manage to kill 250 (200 in some versions) within the time limit then they win. The Cops win by preventing this. When a robber gets killed, they go to "jail." In other words he/she is isolated for One game minute. If the police kill 5 civilians the offending player gets booted from the game. ===================== III. General Strategy ===================== **** Cops **** The cops are Terran dominated units. They have a harder time, since they need to outsmart the other human players as opposed to killing stationary civilians. However to compensate for this they are much stronger and cost less to upgrade. Here is a general Breakdown of the units, from Starting Unit: (note: the specifics and statistics can vary A LOT, but I think all versions give units all special abilities and non-armor/weapon upgrades) -Policeman Base Unit: Marine HP: 15 Armor: 0 Damage: 8 (1 bonus) Notes: Starts with Stimpacks. Basic grunt unit, can kill early robber units in a few hits. -NY Riot Cop (Captain Jim Raynor) Base Unit: Marine HP: 20 Armor: 1 Damage: 18 (7 bonus) Cost: 100 Notes: Retains Stimpacks. A stronger Policeman, can kill dragoons if you sneak up on them. -Fire Marshall (Major Gui Montag) Base Unit: Firebat HP: 60 Armor: 3 Damage: 30 (5 bonus) Cost: 200 Notes: Has Stimpack ability which he can use up to five times (!) However he is still slow and follows damage rules. He is weak against medium/large units such as the dragoon and reaver. -NY Sharp Shooter (Lieutenant Sarah Kerrigan) Base Unit: Ghost HP: 30 Armor: 4 Damage: 80 (5 Bonus) Cost: 300 Notes: Has Lockdown, which can target the Dragoon and Reaver/Shuttle combo. A seriously strong unit, she can kill most robber units in a single hit. However, similar to the firebat, her damage is concussive which means smaller units such as Zealots take less damage. -MG 435-TX / Robocop MKII (Alan Schezar) Base Unit: Goliath HP: 80 Armor: 3 Damage: 70 (5 Bonus)/ 40 (1 Bonus) for SAMs. Cost: 400 Notes: Comes with a transport (see misc. for statistics) so it can reach almost anywhere quickly. -NY Riot Tank Base Unit: Siege Tank HP: 85 Armor: 4 Damage: 80 (4 Bonus)/ 150 for Shock cannon Cost: 500 Notes: Comes with a transport. It has siege-mode researched so it can be a seriously strong and cheap unit. -FBI Special Agent Smith (Samir Duran) Base Unit: Infested Ghost HP: 100 Armor: 5 Damage: 90 (1 Bonus) Cost: 600 Notes: Zerg version of Duran. The penultimate upgrade, he heals automatically due to belonging to the Zerg race. He can kill a large portion of the robber units in a hit or two, but he is limited by his speed. *Note: His race is changed from game to game, so he maybe Terran based in some. -NY SWAT Sniper (Alexi Stukov) Base Unit: Ghost HP: 150 Armor: 10 Damage: 100 (10 Bonus) Cost: 700 Notes: The final upgrade for the Police force. As you can see his stats are monstrous. He comes with his own medic and has lockdown researched. Misc Units: -Attack dog Base Unit: Zergling HP: 12 Armor: 1 Damage: 6 (1 Bonus) Cost: 1000 Notes: Bring any unit to the kennels to get a zergling. On some maps they can be upgraded to a basic upgradeable policeman. They have all special abilities, so they are really crack-lings. -Armored Transport/Police Helicopter Base Unit: Transport HP: 250 Armor: 10 Damage: n/a Cost: Free w/Goliath or Tank Notes: Comes with Goliath/Tank. ALWAYS WAIT FIVE SECONDS BEFORE YOU LOAD UNITS INTO A NEWLY ACQUIRED TRANSPORT. The programming set it so the previous transport will be destroyed, since the trigger is set to remove the goliath AND transport and create a NEW transport and tank. So if you rush it and stick your tank into the transport immediately, you are likely to end up with a NEW empty transport and be very, very unhappy. -NY Medic Base Unit: Medic HP: 150 Armor: 5 Damage: n/a Cost: Comes with Final Upgrade (Stukov) Notes: Comes with the final upgrade for the police. She is pretty tough (tougher than a tank!) and will heal civilians as well. -Detective (Magellan) Base Unit: Science Vessel HP: 150 Armor: 5 Damage: n/a Cost: n/a Notes: A good indicator of enemy progress, they are automatically given when the enemy upgrades to Dark Templars. They are very useful, even cheap depending on the Irradiate spell cost. Unit Strategy ************* The Police generally have an easier time on the non-Special edition maps (see map analysis.) Their units are stronger and cheaper than their robber counterparts, and can usually take on their equivalent units 1 on 1. For the sake of convenience, I will refer to the units interchangeably by their game name and default name. The Basic policeman will be your starting unit and re-spawn unit. Since they re-spawn immediately, unlike the robbers, the cops have a certain recovery element. The policeman can take on units as far as the crack headed thief. Keep in mind that you can kill the zealot in two long ranged hits, where as you may need up to three hits for the second upgrade. As such you should always click on your target and check which upgrade they are one. This is especially important if you decide to stim your unit, since it leaves them with only 5 hp. Most confrontations involve the marine shooting at the absconding zealot, or a rushing Fenix of which can kill the marine if close enough. The riot cop, Raynor, is a souped up marine. They can take on Fenixes with little problem, but face some trouble when against dragoon. The high damage of the dragoons can kill you in a single hit, so you will need to take either higher ground or attack a wounded one. The firebat is basically the starting unit attacker. His high HP can withstand attacks from even the Dragoon, rushing in stimmed to attack. He can stim up quite a few times, making him ideal for killing zealots, Fenixes, and dragoons. Against other units however the firebat is limited in use. The sharpshooter, Kerrigan, is the first of the strong units. Her high damage and lockdown ability can kill even mid-game units. She decimates dragoons with her lockdown and range, and can blow away reavers and shuttles as well. She can take on templars if she dodges the Psi-storms, but still needs a shot or two to kill each other. The Goliath/Transport Combo can cover the entire map. The goliath can kill most units up to the reaver with a single hit, and possess anti-air capabilities to knock down the shuttles. Most people use this combo. The Tank/transport combo is potentially the strongest combination (other than Stukov/transport) in the map. The ability for cheapness can be incredible; a player, knowing how, can dominate the ENTIRE map within 5 minutes, pinning down the enemy and essentially winning the game. This is the bread and butter behind the police force, but not many people know how to do so. More on this later. After the tank, you lose the transport and get a single ghost unit, the Zerg Duran. He has auto-heal ability, as well as cloak (as I recall) so he can very well take on any robber unit, minus the last upgrade. The main problem with him is his speed. He really does take his time in reaching his target, and the opponent would have disappeared by then. Nonetheless for even a slightly experienced player he can keep the payroll going. The final upgrade, Stukov, is perhaps the only unit that can stand toe to toe with Infested Kerrigan, the final robber upgrade. He comes with a medic, which is already tougher than A LOT of units, and he deals monstrous damage from a far range. He costs quite a bit, and is as slow as Duran, but he is strong enough to not have to worry about units getting away. The Attack dog, the crack-ling, ca n rip apart even dragoons if lucky enough. Despite the low stats, it can catch up to any unit and attack at an insane speed. Couple that with burrowing and ability to upgrade (0n some maps) to a policeman and you get quite a good unit. However they get butchered by the templars, which can kill them with a single hit or storm them en masse. The transport probably is the most useful unit; for both sides. New players first getting this unit, or even experienced players will lose their tank or goliath when loading up their unit onto the OLD transport. An oversight in the trigger programming causes the transport that came WITH the unit being upgraded to be removed in a slight delay. What this means is that people will often confuse the old transport with the new transport, causing them to load up their tank or goliath into the transport that will be removed. Despite it's faults, it is a sturdy unit, and takes quite a lot to kill it. It is somewhat fast and can cover the map in a second or so, but is lost when you upgrade past tank. The detective comes when the enemy gets Dark Templars. It is an extremely useful unit, since it remains even after the D'Ts die. The defensive matrix is often low cost, and paired with units above tank, you can rule the map. Depending if it has irradiate (below 200 energy) it can be extremely cheap, irradiating even Infested Kerrigan and killing her in a matter of seconds. Keep in mind that the Science vessel is what gives Terrans the edge over Protoss, and given that the enemy is almost all Protoss or Organic... Strategy ******** With cops, it is a harder, more tactical game. Depending on the opponents skill it can be a very tactical game, guess and relying on teamwork, similar to Counter-Strike. Many people who play are strangers, and as such do not co-operate as much. The cops, if used properly, can be very hard to beat, especially at a full house. They can either play a cowboy style, rounding up and surrounding the enemies, or a seek and destroy style, which is the more common method, combining both air and land superiority. Think of them as more of a cat chasing after a rat. Although you are stronger, it doesn't mean you should go off like Judge Dread or the Terminator. A dragoon can whack your riot cop in a single hit before you even get in range, and a skilled templar can slaughter even an entire Sharpshooter team in a single swoop. The main idea behind the cop team is to pressure the robbers. It doesn't mean you should camp in front of their base (they can easily kill you without worry) but you should make them "look twice." It is much harder for you to find money to upgrade, so don't push it either. Always keep some money in reserve just in case. It's pointless rushing templars with a marine. To Sum it up; Pros: -Strong and Cheap Units -Immediate Re-spawn -Can Dominate and Literally rule the map. Cons: -Harder to play as. Robbers ******* The Robbers are Protoss Dominated Units. Their objective is to kill civilians, which gives them a monetary reward to upgrade, making their job easier. Most people prefer playing as Robbers due to being able to play as the "bad guys" or find it easier. Here is a general Breakdown of the units, from Starting Unit: (note: the specifics and statistics can vary A LOT, but I think all versions give units all special abilities and non-armor/weapon upgrades) -Petty Mugger Base Unit: Zealot HP: 8/2 (shields) Armor: 1 Damage: 6 (2 Bonus) Cost: Starting Unit Notes: Basic Re-spawn Unit cannot take on any unit other than civilian. -Crackheaded Thief (Fenix) Base Unit: Zealot HP: 15/8 Armor: 1 Damage: 12 (2 Bonus) Cost: 200 Notes: Stronger Zealot and faster. Can kill civilians in three hits, he can confront a marine if fast or lucky enough. Probably a wounded or post-stimmed Raynor in a sneak attack. -Drive-by Thief (Fenix) Base Unit: Dragoon HP: 15/8 Armor: 1 Damage: 30 (2 Bonus) Cost: 600 Notes: First Ranged unit, it can knock out Raynor in a single hit. It also give slightly above pitiful damage against SCVs. -Serial Killer (Tassadar) Base Unit: High Templar HP: 40/32 Armor: 2 Damage: 30 (1 Bonus) Cost: 1200 Notes: A high templar with a ranged attack, comes with all spells researched. Incredibly powerful, it can win the game if used properly. The Psi-Storm is horribly unbalanced with its low costs and can slaughter anything regardless of armor (more later.) -Grenade Launcher (War Bringer) Base Unit: Reaver HP: 60/60 Armor: 5 Damage: 60* (scarab damage) Cost: 1600 Notes: Comes with a shuttle, it is slow but has splash damage. It can be nailed by lockdown. -Terrorist (Tassadar/Zeratul Archon) Base Unit: Archon HP: 100/100 Armor: 10 Damage: 45 Cost: 2000 Notes: Think archon without it's low HP weakness. It deal splash damage and can take several shots from the police Kerrigan. -The Boss (Zeratul) Base Unit: Dark Templar HP: 45/25 Armor: 0 Damage: 50 (1 Bonus) Cost: 3000 Notes: Comes with 2 Boss's Bodyguards (normal Dark Templars.) Low HP but can kill police units in a swipe or two. Slaughters civilians easily, but it gives Police a strong unit; the science vessel. Be careful about upgrading to this or past this. -Bosses Bodyguards Base Unit: Dark Templar HP: 10/20 Armor: 0 Damage: 20 (3 Bonus) Cost: Included with Boss Notes: Comes with The Boss, they can combine to form the Dark Archon. Slightly weaker than Zeratul, but properly used they can be very powerful. -Psychedelic Pothead Base Unit: Dark Archon HP: 10/100 Armor: 10 Damage: n/a Cost: n/a Notes: Formed when two Dark Templars combine. Comes with all spells equipped, but prone to EMP from vessel. -Walking Death/PMS Killer (Infested Sarah Kerrigan) Base Unit: Infested Kerrigan HP: 250 Armor: 10 Damage: 200 (!) (1 Bonus) Cost: 4000 Notes: Comes with suicide bomber and ATA Missile. The final upgrade for Robbers, and has all spells researched. Does insane damage and can kill any unit in a single hit (almost.) Upgrading her will give an extra zealot to upgrade as well. Misc. Units: -Hired Hitman (Samir Duran) Base Unit: Ghost HP: 20 Armor: 60 Damage: 40 Cost: 15,000/20,000 Notes: Purchased similar to police zerglings. Comes with spells Researched. Kills civilians easily and able to withstand most basic police attacks. *Note: His race is changed from game to game, so he maybe Zerg based in some. -Hijacked Helicopter Base Unit: Shuttle HP: 20 Armor: 60 Damage: n/a Cost: Comes with Grenade Launcher (Reaver) Notes: Comes with Reaver. Can transport units, but is destroyed if Reaver is upgraded. -Suicide Bomber Base Unit: Infested Terran HP: 2500 or 9999 (!) Armor: 255 (!) Damage: 100 (255 in others) Cost: n/a Notes: Comes with Infested Kerrigan. Can Burrow and heal. Cheap unit, spelling out instant death to ANY unit. -ATA Missile Base Unit: Scourge HP: 2500 or 9999 Armor: 255 Damage: 100 (255 in others) Costs: n/a Notes: Comes with Infested Kerrigan. Flying death. Unit Strategy ************* The Zealot is the basic starting unit. They take five hits to kill a civilian, and die easily against the police. They suffer from a time lag when they die, in which they are isolated for a game minute, unable to kill or do really anything. They are no match for ANY police unit. The upgraded version, Fenix, is the equivalent of Raynor, a souped up verson of the basic unit. It kills civilians in three hits, and is somewhat faster and stronger. They are slightly disadvantaged against the basic marine, but can win if the other player slips up or two robbers work together. Keep in mind they are both MELEE units, having to rush up close to deal damage. The Dragoon is the third upgrade. Like the firebat, it is useful for a short duration. They are the first ranged units for the robbers, but can kill civilians rather quickly. However they tend to get butchered when the cops upgrade to Kerrigan. The templar can be the strongest unit for the robbers. The low cost Psi-storm can force a blanket of damage surrounding either cops or a group of civilians. Their high damage normal attack does high damage andcan kill many units in a hit, with a relatively high rate of fire. A group of templars working together can be near invincible, using hallucination and psi-storm to confuse the cops. Another note to remember is that Psi-storm negates armor, and does damage as a set percentage of HP. The grenade launcher is the only unit that has a flying transport. It is the equivalent of the police tank, but not as cheap. It still has incredible range and does high damage, but you need to keep an eye out and make new scarabs. It is the slowest unit in the entire game, so keep a shuttle near to escort it out. The archon is a popular unit. It is both strong and somewhat fast, able to hit air and land. They aren't as vulnerable to EMP as their real-game counter part due to high HP. They do splash damage so they can easily wipe out a horde of zerglings. Players should be careful when upgrading to the Dark Templars. Although you get three for the price of one, the police get the powerful science vessels. Their irradiate and defensive matrix can really give the robbers a headache, since the only a few units can aim for air. Their EMP can knock shields and energy off, leaving some units helpless. The final upgrade, Infested Kerrigan, is near invincible. Her only setback is her range and rate of fire, having to go up close. However she can kill any land unit (other than suicide bomber) in a single hit. Her large assortment of spells, including cloak, can make her incredibly difficult to kill. She comes with two other units that are basically instant kill units, so use them wisely. Despite its low HP, the hit-man possess high armor, allowing it to take quite a bit of damage. Regardless of which race they are designated as, they are a nightmare to kill, requiring the penultimate or last cop upgrade to kill. It is possible to take them out with a siege tank however. Their lockdown ability can keep the police at bay, or their cloaking ability can make the cops avoid you. Basically once you get one or two of these units around the map you have won the game. The infested terran is basically instant death. There is no way to defend against it other than let it walk into the anti-camp trigger. It is impervious to damage or spells, and can take down even a defensive matrixed unit. Similarly the ATA missile can destroy any air unit, but some versions have weakened the scourge significantly. Strategy ******** Firstly, don't be stupid. Don't try to be Rambo or a ninja either, or you will most likely get burned. It is extremely rare that a robber will seek to attack cops, mostly in defense, precaution or to kill campers. The cops dominate early and late game, so it is best to take caution. Eventually you will need to move up into the fog of war covered regions, in which the cops have full visibility. It is always best to have a fast unit to get away when they come. Another important consideration is that not every kill you make will give you money. It is a common misconception that certain units or SCVs at a certain location will be a special civilian spawning more money than usual. Instead, money is given according to the number of kills you make, approximately every Two kills. The armored SCVs give off more money, but are harder to kill. It is generally more efficient to upgrade then kill SCVs with a stronger unit. Teamwork is generally less important when playing as robbers. In fact it is quite the contrary. The initial start game is quiet essential to the robbers, rushing to upgrade before the cops gain the upper edge. If you get killed, your opponents gain quite an edge over you. This does not mean that you should be fully competitive and trap the others to be killed. Doing so will benefit the police, as they gain a reward as well as dissension within the robber players. To Sum it up; Pros: -Easier to play as -Easier to find money Cons: -Disadvantage if killed; jail -Weaker units -Costlier Upgrades Side by side Comparison *********************** Each side has an equivalent unit, sorted by; Cops: Robbers (* Denotes Advantage) Policeman (Marine)*: Petty Mugger (Zealot) Riot Cop (Raynor)* : Crackheaded Thief (Fenix) Fire Marshall (Montag) : Drive-by Thief (Dragoon Fenix)* Sharpshooter (Kerrigan) : Serial Killer (Tassadar)*-near even Robocop MKII (Schezar) : Grenade Launcher (Reaver)* Riot Tank (Seige Tank)* : Terrorist (Archon) FBI Agent (Duran) : Boss and guards (Dark Templars) (note 1) SWAT Sniper (Stukov) : PMS Killer (Inf. Kerrigan)*-near even Note 1- If cops have Science vessel, Duran has advantage. Opposite otherwise. ================ IV. Map Strategy ================ coming soon... ======================== V. The Cheap Nasty Stuff ======================== DISCLAIMER: I did not invent these tactics. Credit these to Asstronauts, but it is likely he/she is using a new account already. Doing these may take some practice, but are relatively easy to pull off. Keep in mind that although they are in game easter eggs, they are virtually being exploited. Using these can literally make you the dictate the game, stopping the flow until you decide to stop. Should you choose to take these tactics into full, think about how you would feel if you were on the receiving end. You can literally ruin the game and make the other opponents _VERY_ Angry. The end result is basically the same. The cops have the nastiest trick which basically warranted the disclaimer, and depending on the map, can be moderately difficult or ridiculously easy, being able to be performed within the first 5 minutes of the game. The starting point varies according to map: Cops **** Cops 'n' Robbers **************** This is probably the most popular version. To determine this, click on the tank near your stating point. If you have one, then it's the correct version. - First Walk into the teleporting beacon - Walk in the north east direction towards the civilian Reaver. - Go onto the higher ground and attack the reaver. Keep on look out for any approaching robbers. - Once you kill it, walk into the enemy base; it should kill you - You should have enough money for the upgrade and voila, you didn't have to walk back - Upgrade to riot cop and walk near the tank. - Turn of ally with Tank and let your cop kill the tank for a while. - Go for a break; make some tea or something - When you have about 5000 or so credits, upgrade to Seige Tank. - Be sure to re-ally the civilians. - Fly your siege tank towards the north tip of robber's base, near the gateway. - Unload your siege tank RIGHT NEXT to the gateway and siege it. - You have now pinned down the robbers; they can't upgrade nor re spawn. - If you want to be nasty, use the remaining money to buy some Zerglings. - Use one or two zerglings to continually attack the tank for constant income. - By now they should be complaining - If you want to be Nasty, train 5 or 6 zerglings and de-ally your teammates. Notice how you get income. - Train some more zerglings to hunt for the opposition. They should be dragoons at max, since they cannot upgrade anymore. - Fly and unload some zerglings RIGHT into the jail. The zealots are no match for your zerglings. - Voila, you have pinned down the ENITRE game. Cops 'n' Robbers Gold ********************* Basically this version is similar to the original, but it is severely rigged. This version gives you two starting marines. - Move a marine to where the tank should be; slight below the kennels - You should be automatically getting A LOT of income. - Move your marine north to train zerglings; - You should get 5 for the price of 1! - Burrow a single zergling into the magic money spot. - Train some more zerglings and upgrade them if you wish. - Follow the original from this point. Cops 'n' Robbers SE versions **************************** These versions usually favor the robbers more. The police tank is inefficient to kill. Warning: these versions are known to be HORRIBLY rigged for the first robber slot, where the host usually is. Demand them switch slots with someone. If not, leave. It's asking for frustration and anger. - You will need to kill the old fashioned way up to Seige tank. - Unload your tank on the platform behind the Reaver. - Siege it and blow up the Reaver. - The Tank cannot camp inside robbers base so you might need to do it the correct way. Robbers ******* Cops 'n' Robbers **************** This map is more difficult for Robbers, and I rarely play as them on this map. Try to prevent them from upgrading too much and pray the didn't read this FAQ or learned the tricks elsewhere. Cops 'n' Robbers SE versions **************************** This version can be the most fair or unfair version there is. The robbers may hold the advantage here however. - Upgrade to Dragoon. - Move your dragoon next to the gateway. - It should automatically blast civilians behind the walls. - If the robbers were careful, you should be enough to be a templar. - Store up about 100 energy or spend 100 to heal. - Psi-storm the Reaver (garbage truck) - You need to do this twice; wait till the first one stops. - Hire a hit-man. - Unleash Hell. - You can pin the cops down, but it is much harder and easier to mess up from the anti-camp trigger. - Upgrade to Reaver. Use your imagination. - Alternatively place your hit-man on the ledge south of police base. ============== VI. Miscellany ============== This section covers the miscellaneous stuff. -Innocent Victim Base Unit: Civilian HP: 30 Armor: 0 -Armored Civilian Base Unit: SCV HP: 100 Armor: 10 Suggestions or Contributions? Send to Chimplord@hotmail.com ====================== VII. Notes and Credits ====================== -Jeff "CJayC" Veasey and Gamefaqs.com for (hopefully) Posting this FAQ. -Blizzard for creating this game. Starcraft, Starcraft Brood Wars is copyright of Blizzard Entertainment 1999. Don't sue me; I ain't getting any money on this. -N.H; It's no novel so I can't dedicate this to you, and chances are you wouldn't be happy if I mentioned you anyways. But it's not like you're gonna read this. This document Copyright 2002 by Kenny "Kenshi" Tam, and may not be duplicated or reproduced (in part or in full) for profit without the explicit permission of the author. Chances are it will be rare if anyone would want to use this crappy FAQ. This document is supposed to appear on http://www.gamefaqs.com. http://www.psxcodez.com http://www.DLH.net http://www.gamespot.com