Whether you’re playing in a single-player Campaign game or against a human opponent, the single most important factor in determining victory is resources: it matters little how good a battlefield tactician you are if you have no units to command. But resources alone won’t guarantee victory. You need to understand which buildings have priority in being erected, and the steps you can take to make sure you get the most out of them.
Here are some basic guidelines on how to get your army up to speed in the shortest time possible and steps to take during the battle to make the most of the units and buildings you’ve built. But if you’re a beginner, there’s one thing you should do even before you read this: play the tutorial mission. It will acquaint you with the interface, movement and combat controls, and a plethora of other nuances that are key to getting the most out of War Front.
Resources
In multiplayer games, you start with a main building (Headquarters, Command Center, or Supply Center) and an engineer unit; your starting buildings and units will vary in a Campaign game.
Build According to the Situation. If the battle is taking place on a map with capturable resources like Oil Rigs or Banks, an infantry-training building should be the first thing you should construct. As soon as you build it, upgrade it with the Capture Buildings skill and send troops out to seize these valuable buildings. The steady flow of income provided by these “evergreen” resource points can prove crucial in the opening minutes of a battle.
If there are no capturable resources on the map, use the engineer to build a resource-collection building first unless you’re playing as the Soviets: the Supply Center serves as a HQ and a resource-storage facility. As the Engineer is building the resource-collection structure, order the Headquarters or Command Center to produce first a resource collector and then another engineer. That way, the resource collector will probably be waiting with a full load of resources as soon as the resource-collection point is completed. One note: you will need to order this resource collector to drop off the first load. It will do it automatically from that point on.
Tech Level 2 is Priority Number 1. Once you’ve decided which buildings should be constructed first, your next goal should be to construct whatever buildings are necessary to upgrade to Tech Level 2. This not only gives you access to faster and more powerful combat units, but also gives you the opportunity to upgrade resource collection and electricity production (only Germans and Russians need to generate power).
Keep on Trucking. Every resource-collection structure should be serviced by at least three resource collectors to maximize its processing capability. The further the structure is from the mine, the more trucks you’ll need to keep a constant flow of resources coming in for processing, but rarely will you need more than four trucks at one time to achieve the optimal processing of resources.
Protect Your Goods. Resource-collection buildings are a prime target for enemy sneak attacks. Use defensive structures like machine-gun, anti-tank, and anti-aircraft bunkers to protect them from capture or destruction. This is especially important for Oil Rigs and Banks, which are often located far from your primary base. Even if the defenses aren’t enough to destroy the attacking forces, they’ll at least draw the fire of enemies and give you a chance to send reinforcements.
It Pays to Recycle. When a mine has been exhausted, sell the resource-collection building that you built for it to squeeze out one last bit of income. You can send the resource collectors to work at another mine (although they probably won’t be needed anywhere) or use them as scout vehicles. Park them in areas where you suspect the enemy might advance and they’ll give you early warning if an attack is on the way. You can also use them as decoys to draw enemy fire as you attack, but their low armor rating means they won’t last long in that role.
