[10-2-11] 11. Isle Parche

Master the Isle Parche mission in Total Annihilation! Learn to counter the AI's combined naval assaults, protect your shipyard, and defeat the Guardian cannon.

Alright, let's talk about Isle Parche. This map is a bit different because the AI actually gets smart and uses its navy effectively. It's a good one to learn from, honestly. The computer will try to pull a fast one by sending destroyers to distract you and spot for its big warship. While you're dealing with that, subs will try to sneak in and wreck your shipyard. On top of all that, a lone cruiser will be poking at you from the other side of the island. It’s a multi-pronged attack, so you’ve gotta be ready for it.

Luckily, I had a couple of cruisers and some destroyers and searchers by this point, which was enough to handle the initial assault. Still, that lone cruiser managed to take out a couple of my missile towers, and the subs actually got my advanced shipyard! Don't make my mistake and underestimate those subs – they can do some serious damage.

The good news is, this seems to be the only really coordinated attack the AI throws at you. After that initial rush, I rebuilt my advanced shipyard to pump out more capital ships (though, looking back, it probably wasn't strictly necessary). Then it was back to the usual search-and-destroy. For the final bombardment of the big island, you'll need fighters to act as spotters because you absolutely do not want to touch that tiny Zeus unit directly – it's too dangerous.

The biggest headache for my fleet was a lone Guardian cannon situated near the center of the island. The problem is, to get your ships close enough to attack it, they have to get within range of the Merls (mines). This could be a disaster for your capital ships, but thankfully, I had some C-ships (Construction ships) repairing them, which kept them from getting blown up. Oh, and those Brawlers? They look pretty intimidating the first time you see them, but don't sweat them too much. My missile boats (searchers) handled them just fine.