Tips & Hints

Following tips are true spoilers. DO NOT read them if you like discovering TC features on your own... it's a lot of fun... but if you run into problems, try this page. It may give you some nice ideas.

Single Player
The SST TC is hard. At first, it will be extremely hard, until you learn how to play it properly. Remember: tactics you used in the original Duke won't work. Bugs are faster than you, have more legs and more ways to hurt you than you could imagine.

Rule No 1:

  • Don't allow the Warriors to get close! Keep shooting at them and run like you never run before.
     
  • "Strafe in, shoot, then strafe out" strategy will result in yet another body bag. Warriors will be all over you like ants on dropped ice cream cone.

Your weapon is your best friend. Don't get out of ammo or you will be dead in a matter of seconds. Keep your eye on the ammo level, chances are slim you will find any clips in a desert or a mountain. Rule No 2:

  • Learn to use proper weapon for a particular distance, foe, or situation. I.e., Peacemaker works great against a swarm of Warriors, while a shotgun blast from the Morita is the best way to take down a single target. Liquifier works the best on medium distance, Corroder up close. Trying to hit a Hopper with a corroder projectile is a waste of time and precious ammo. Once you get to know your weapons you will be a messenger of bug death.
     
  • Don't attack everything. Evading unnecessary confrontations is a very good idea. You have a mission to complete, not to kill every damn bug in the neighborhood, so don't waste your ammo unless you really have to.

Once you are on a mission, everything is against you. Including the time.

  • Your favorite "kill a foe save the game" strategy won't work. Don't forget that the levels in SST TC are not "freezed in time and space", bugs can and will keep heading your way, until you ran out of ammo and die. You CAN'T kill all of them. Be fast and keep moving. Every lost second usually means one bug more to worry about. Bugs will come out of their holes in swarms, and they will keep coming unless you "close the hole" with a nuke. Once you see their hole, and you have a nuke, slam it down and they won't come anymore.
     
  • Be on your guard all of the time. A "dead" tunnel may be very alive. A hole you failed to spot could be a cause of your death once the bugs start coming out of it. A Hopper could be lurking in the seemingly calm canyon.
     
  • Bugs are faster, deadlier, and there's more of them, but you are smarter (I hope, or you're screwed). Trick them whenever you can.

Hoppers and Tankers. Your worst nightmare.

  • If you hear a Hopper (you will recognize their eerie shriek) and you can't see him, it may be too late already. Head for cover!
       
  • Once you have'm in visual, keep running away from him and shoot with a Peacemaker.
     
  • Strafe out from his trajectory as soon as you kill him. You don't want him to mow you down when he hit's the ground, or slides on it!
     
  • Tankers are impossible to kill with regular weapons. Run away or nuke him.
      
  • Plasma bugs are bad news. They are always surrounded with tons of Warriors and they will keep coming out. Stay out of sight and fire a nuke his way. Prepare to face the revenge squad afterwards.
      
  • Pheromone Spray could very well save your life. Never underestimate it. When the Warrior count is too high, and your ammo count too low, activate it and dust off. Don't forget it only works on Warriors...


Multi Player (DM and CTF)

  • If you kill someone with the Liquifier, you won't get a point for it. Use it only to damage the opponents.
     
  • Liquifier causes area damage that can blow open a crack in the wall, hurt the player who hides behind a pillar, or activate the trip bombs. This also works in SP levels.
     
  • Although you cannot fire weapons while climbing ladders, if you stand still on ladders for a while, your character will pull the gun out.
     
  • Be careful with the Cleaner. It's quite unstable, so pick it up on your own risk. If you do pick it up, have fun.
     
  • You won't get a kill if you use a Nuke to eliminate your enemies. Unless you score a direct hit, it will count as suicide.
     
  • Nukes are great in CTF as well in DM. If you can't get the player who dug in, slam a nuke at the bunker. You'll probably miss the player, but the residual fires will sure as hell get him out. :-)
     
  • If you're too close to ground zero at the time of a nuke detonation, hide behind a wall, underwater or anywhere else - remember: if the ground zero can't "see" you, it can't kill you!
     
  • If you are in the Hot Zone (survived the Nuke, but to close to the heat wave), expect a lot of dangerous flames and fires everywhere. If you get the "In the heat wave zone" warning, haul ass as fast as you can right away - before the fires spread to much.
     
  • Nukes are also very cool to seal of an hallway, room, or any other area - shoot it at the floor and you have a 30 second fire protection!
     
  • NEVER run through the residual Nuke fires - unless you have a very good reason. You will get lost and die.
     
  • If you get the Nuke Sensor alarm, and can't see the missile, crawl in a hole and pray.