Archemidean Dynasty

(Walkthrough)

Deep underneath the ocean, there's no shame in being a little wet behind the ears. The sub combat in this game can be a bit confusing, with elements of space sims and flight sims brought together under 5000 meters of salt water. The variety of guns, torpedoes, sensors, and turret software thrown into the mix is enough to have the average land lubber reaching for Dramamine by the handful.

"Hey, Verne! What is a league anyway?"
This deep under the ocean, the effects of gravity are almost negligible. However, unlike space combat sims, there is an up and a down. Most of the time, you'll want to stay in clear view of the bottom, but on those occasions where you get closer to the surface, or when you get twisted around (not hard to do if you're tracking someone above or below you) your instrumentation is your most reliable guide. Pay attention to the hash marks on your crosshairs and the yellow "x" on the analog depth gauge on the right of the HUD. When following a distant nav point, it helps to lock it into your sensors using the <alt-N> key so you can keep track of whether it's above or below you.
To keep control of your sub's speed, it's best not to use the preset speed keys, as you can easily overshoot enemies in combat or waste time with wide, languid turns. Instead, use the <A> and <Z> key to scuttle backward and forward as needed. By juggling these keys and taking advantage of the sub's lateral drift, you can turn on a dime to dart into a hiding place or fire at an attacker. Remember too that skimming the sea bottom will neither damage you nor slow you down, so feel free to drive with your nose in the silt.

Shopping at Davy Jones' Locker
Don't feel compelled to save your money for a new sub when you're buying weapons. Vehicle upgrades come at pre-set points in the plot, regardless of how much money you've got, so spend it while you've got it. When you're buying torpedoes, pay attention to the order in which you buy them, as this will be their order in the magazine. Buy and sell your torpedoes until you've got them arranged to your liking. Reload times can drag on forever when you're tailing an enemy sub, and it's important to know what flavor of torpedo is up next. If you find yourself attached to a particular torpedo that isn't widely available, always make a point to keep a spare. You can sell a lone torpedo to an Arms Dealer and then buy back as many copies of it as you like.
In the more advanced subs which feature turrets, don't bother buying expensive software until you can afford High or Very High accuracy. You're better off slaving the turret to your main gun for the extra firepower. This requires no software, and it's much more helpful than letting your turrets pop off the occasional wild shot. Don't forget to give your turrets specific orders at the beginning of each mission; otherwise, they'll be as useful as the proverbial screen door on a submarine.

Staving Off That Sinking Feeling
In the heat of combat, pay close attention to your armor, since it's not easy to tell when you've been hit. Once you've upgraded to the Gator with its dual MFDs, it's easier to keep up with armor status. But in the Hiob, you should keep your lone MFD on your armor display, as it offers more detailed info than the HUD icon in the upper left corner. It's also important within a mission to check the message log from time to time, as it's easy to miss crucial messages which may flash by while you're busy fighting.
A great tactic combining offense with defense (and one which is particularly effective when facing swarms of torpedo wielding subs) is a sort of lobster crawl. Get within sonar range of the enemy so they start charging you. Then open fire while you're backing away, turning to keep your front pointed towards as many of them as you can. When the launch warning sounds, hit the <g> key to highlight the incoming torpedo. As long as you keep firing in its general direction, minimal aiming is required; it's bound to swim into your gunfire and be destroyed. Once it's destroyed, immediately hit the <l> key to target the boat closest to your line of fire. Until you get the Zorn with its powerful reverse thrust, this tactic doesn't work as well against more than three attackers, as they'll quickly overtake and surround you. However, even against multiple opponents, it can help to draw them away from static defenses and trim their numbers a bit.

Damn those Torpedoes!
Evasive maneuvers should be the first thing on your mind whenever you hear that calm warning, "Caution, Torpedo." Note the angle of its approach in the sonar display and hit the <g> key to check its distance. If it's within 50 meters and it's approaching from behind, your only hope is to drop a buzzer and twist wildly. As with missiles in any flight sim, you can turn inside nearby torpedoes which are approaching from the front or the side. Torpedoes outside 50 meters give you more time to react, so drop to the bottom and try to put some terrain between you and the incoming torpedo. The voxel sonar is an excellent resource for getting a quick overview of the surrounding terrain. Be aware that you don't need a hill or canyon to hide; even a small rise will do nicely. Barring this, you've got time to turn towards the torpedo and set up a bad intercept angle. Note that Stanleys (STA in the sonar display) are basically unguided rockets, so any change of course will foil them, while Thresher (THR) and Bull (BUL) Sharks can also be spoofed by getting close to other subs. Save your buzzers for the last moment.
When you find yourself in a furball with a bunch of other subs at close range, there are a few rules to live by. First, keep your sonar display zoomed in to at least the middle level so you can get a clearer picture of where the enemy subs are. If one side of your armor is weakened, maneuver to keep attackers away from that side. Second, stay low so you can drop quickly to avoid torpedoes. A torpedo that misses can come around for another pass, but if you're on the sea bottom, a miss will most likely hit the dirt and detonate. Third, concentrate on one sub at a time unless you're protecting another ship or building. In such situations, keep changing targets after you drive an attacker off. You don't have the luxury to fix on one opponent while the others plug away at whatever you're supposed to defend. And finally, don't keep an enemy sub targeted once you've destroyed it. There are a few seconds between the shot that kills an enemy and the moment it actually explodes. Take advantage of this extra time to move on to the next target. Once you've administered the coup de grace, the word "exploding" will appear above the MFD opponent picture if you've upgraded your sensors.

A Sea Change into Something Rich and Strange
Context-specific upgrades can be extremely effective. If you know you've got to take out a few ships in a short time, consider swapping out your guns for a larger magazine loaded with advanced torpedoes. Conversely, some missions might call for sustained and concentrated fire, so sell your magazine and buy the best guns available. Any missions in which you have to destroy structures or bombers call for Big Bangs. Although they're effective, they are slow, so be sure to lead them against moving targets. Bombers can also be attacked with slash and run attacks from the rear; make sure to jink and twist as you pull away.
If you're short on money and you've run out of side missions, or if you're just a few dollars short, you can always resort to gun-running for extra money. Buy weapons and torpedoes cheap at backwater stations and sell them at Entropoints for top dollar. The only limit on this income is your patience for shuttling back and forth. And after dodging torpedoes and gunfire, a bit of underwater Fed Ex'ing might be a relaxing change of pace.

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