Welcome to the Global Defense Iniative Information Database

Welcome. GDI is the player to go with for beginners to the C&C world. It has the heaviest mobile firepower in the games of the past, as in this game: The Mammoth Mark II. It also feautures the most devestating weapon ever to be unleashed in any C&C Game: The Sonic Disruptor. Also backed by an impressive away of Mechs, Infantry, and remaining true to it's Air Force: The Orca Fighter, the Orca Bomber, Jumpjet Infantry, the Hover MRLS, the Carry All, an unexperienced player might say,"Then why would anyone want to play NOD." I'll get to that in the next section. But for now, I will outline GDI's advantages.

GDI has very powerful air and ground forces, but GDI players still have to be good to win. Where as NOD rules by fast and stealthy units, GDI rules by ruggedness, brute strength, and fast air support for tight situations where NOD ambushes them. However, in this game GDI has a new advantage for fighting NOD, the DSA (Deployable Sensor Array). Unfortunately, this thing, while it can detect NOD stealth and subterranian units, it easy prey for something like a Banshee or an Attack Cycle and as such, must be heavily defended with both Anti Air and Anti-Ground units. For anti air we reccomend Jumpjet Infantry, for Anti Ground we'd reccomend Raptors and Battle Mechs. However, do not mislead yourself. There are decisive disadvantages for a GDI player, A: It's lack of mobility, B: It's lack of a single stopping base defense structure (such as the Oblisk of Light) and the fact that it's best defensive weapon, the Firestorm Defense System, can be penetrated easily by NOD subterranean units.

For GDI, you must remember the following: In an even numbered battle, say 10 NOD Tick-Tanks against 10 Mammoth Mark II's, you will win, every time. However, NOD bases remain practically invincible because of the Oblisk of Light, which can now shoot down Orca fighters or bombers. Remember the following: In a straight on fight with a NOD Oblisk of Light, no matter what units you have, you will loose. NOD is a deceptive and fast foe, and at any moment you could be ambushed by Stealth/Subterranean Units. Your single most effective weapon is the Deployable Sensor Array. Use it wisely. And also remember: Use Orca Bombers too the most effective degree possible, but not for close in support. Use it for A: Strikes against slow NOD units (there aren't many) or large clumps of units, or B: Take out there power plants. Oblisks of Light, Laser Turrets, they all use an incredible amount of power. Take them out! Also, remember your units can go places NOD units can't, like over rivers for MRLS Units. Use that!!!

GDI Units

Light Battle Infantry: The basic fighting infantry, these units have replaced the rifle men of the past. There armed with basic pulse rifles that do minimal explosive damage to any unit, but in numbers these things could be a match for more powerful units.

Disc Throwers: The grenadiers of the next century, these guys have bionic arms and can loose explosive "discs" incredible distances, over barriers, and with grim accuracy. And if they miss they just skid until they do hit something.

Jumpjet Infantry: Got too hate these guys if your a NOD tanker. With fast jetpacks, they can jump ridges, cliffs, get on top of it too prevent being run over, and shower missiles onto there pursuers. They're also highly effective at stopping an armored charge of tick tanks, and they have miniguns for infantry.

Drop pod battle infantry: No one has very much information as too how this is going to work out, but it's assumed that these are the same thing as paratroopers from Red Alert... just with 70 years worth of better tech up there sleeves.

Engineers: a very important unit, engineers can fix any building to it's full health instantly or capture enemy buildings. Always bring some along for assaults too repair bridges, but only repair what you need, not only are engineers expensive, but the bridges they raise might work against you in a counter attack.

Raptors: These 9 foot behemoth's possess a frightening array of weapons. With twin high velocity machine guns, these are extremely effective at anti infantry tasks, and useful too have for anti-armor, even though they are no match for a tick tank.

Medium Battle Mechs: These 18 foot monsters are fast, highly mobile, and have a 120 mm cannon. These can probably defeat a Tick Tank in mobile mode, but in stationary mode, I wouldn't be so sure. However, these units are excellent for the Tiberian Wastelands as they can go over most any terrain. Fast, relatively cheap, and packing a good 120mm punch, we have one word of advice: Use them.

Hover MRLS(Multi Rocket Launching System). These units are excellent for close in support in a ground fight because of there high firepower and extreme accuracy. They may or may not be able to fire at air units. However, these units have light armor, so keep them away from NOD attack cycles, and defend them from Sub-Terranean Flamers. Keep them over rivers wherever possible, that way, NOD can't attack them with subterranean flamers. Use them cautiously, if used right, they can add a decisive edge to any battle, use them wrongly, and they won't do anything other than be destroyed.

Amphibious APC: You have it now: The 'phibs for taking commandos/infantry into battle as well as adding a decisive edge to a battle. Even though they only have 1 M:60 machine gun mounted, they are incredibly useful. For instance, suppose this is a game and your GDI, and your moving against a NOD base: your forces have surpassed one bridge, but the other was blown apart infront of them. Too make matters worse, you only have one engineer, NOD is pounding your units with artillary, and a stealth tank blew apart the bridge you were going to bring the engineer up by. You need either A: A second engineer, which requires more money, much more time, and gives NOD precious time to prepare, or you can load the engineer onto a 'phib, send him floating over the river, drive him up too the bridge, and have him repair it. Simple, effective. And yes, these APC's can also go over land.

Mammoth Mark II: The Mamoth makes it's reappearance, only leaner, meaner, and a hell of a lot deadlier. These things are next to invincible: Extremely heavy armor, twin railguns, AA missiles, they are quite literally a walking fortress. Resembling the nasty ATAT's from Starwars, in force, there next too unstoppable. However, remember the following: These units are expensive, they are easy prey for a Banshee's strafing runs, and if you sent say 25 Nod Tick Tanks, only slightly more expensive than 10 Mammoth Mark II's, the Tick Tanks will win. And it will be by a margin. And remember, there AA missiles will not be very effective against a fast and sleek Banshee, so protect them with MRLS, Jumpjet infantry, that sort of thing.

The Disruptor: The most powerful unit in the game, this unit unleashes a massive sonic bombardment which literally shakes infantry and tanks apart, yours as well as theres. The damage lessens with more space, and these units are likely too kill themselves in the process, like they did in the Aftermath. However, do not simply think,"Cool, I'll build ten of these." These things are: Expensive, very easy to kill by a Banshee or a Stealth, and are slow, bulky, and not suited well for the difficult terrain. However, two of these making an opening barrage for your campaign against NOD defenses make it a cultivated unit, but remember, your units are damaged as well! Keep them very far away when this puppy goes off!

The DSA (Deployable Sensor Array): The most effective unit in your battles with NOD, these guys can sniff out (actually hear out) Stealth or Subterrenean Units, making them a most valued asset of GDI. However, you know the speech, keep them defended against Banshee's and Attack Cycles, which just love to pounce on this kind of thing. And keep some battlemechs in case any Flamers try to pay you an uninvited visit.

Harvester: The most vital unit, protect this thing with a force of Raptors, Battle Mechs, and MRLS (No jumpjets because they go in Tiberium - duh!) And always have at least three. These things are your income, your money, and your friends. They have heavy armor, but no defensive weapons, so as I said, protect them. Capable of carrying 700 Tiberium (unless there have been drastic changes), a single one of these things coming into your refinery could make a decisive difference.

Tiberium Clearer: Meteor showers, NOD Chemical Missiles, those things leave lots of Tiberium in your base which kills your infantry and can even prevent you from moving. Clear it out quickly with a Tiberium Clearer, which shoves the Tiberium aside. This unit is nessecary if NOD has it's counter part, the Tiberium Eater. However, it is not vital.

Orca Fighter: A good unit for close in tactical support, they can hit there target with rockets, damaging or destroying Tick Tanks, Stealth Units, Flame Tanks, that sort of thing. Use these for attacking Banshee's as well, and for Bomber Support. If used right, these things can make a difference.

Orca Bomber: These things are not used for close in Tactical Support, because apparently GDI doesn't understand the concept of a smart bomb, these things are dropped way off target. While slow, making them easy prey for Banshee's or AA units, and the fact that Oblisks can take them out with one swipe, or tha SAM (Surface to Air Missile) batteries are common might make these units seem obsolete, they are nessecary for smashing power plants too take Oblisks offline before an attack or devestating large clumps of enemy troops.

Carry All: These things are very nessecary, as they can haul units back for repairs, or bring up fresh replacements. Whether you will have direct control or the computer controls them is undecided.

In this next section, I go into greater depth on GDI structures.

GDI base defense is either passive (like the Firestorm) or not powerful enough to stop a determined NOD attack, so make sure you use units as well.

Construction Yard: The most important unit either GDI or NOD will ever have, this puppy builds all GDI structures. Loose this, and you've basically lost the game, as any C&C or Red Alert Veteran will tell you.

Power plant: The usual, same old powerplant which provides power too your buildings, just this one has pods that can be upgraded too provide more power and save precious space.

Barracks: The same thing as in Tiberian Dawn, Red Alert, and Starcraft, this building, while it looks different, trains infantry.

Communications Center: This is one of GDI's considerable technological assets which it holds over NOD. While the NOD communications center just overs a radar view, GDI Communications Centers provide A: The TAR, or Threat Assessment Radar, and send your EMP Cannons and defenses firing at the biggest threat, B: An uplink too the Orbital Ion Cannon which you can use too control it, and C: Hunter Seaker Control, which lets you deploy the nefarious and feared GDI drones.

Tiberium Refinery: The basic refinery, this unit porcesses Tiberium, turns it into credits, and stores it. It can handle 2,000 credits at a time and it comes equiped with one harvester. Additional harvs may be purchased at the weapons factory.

Silo: The basic storage, these things hold 1500 worth of Tiberium and are nessecary too win the game, as the single most formidable weapon for you too have is a stockpile of credits. However, if these are destroyed or captured, your credits are either lost or stolen, so be careful!

Weapons Factory: These things produce everything from the ubiquitious Raptor too the devestating Mammoth Mark II too the humble harvester. Unlike previous weapon factories, more does not mean increased production time, it simply means that you have a backup in case one is destroyed. Protect these things well, in advanced missions, your armor is your life blood. Infantry just can't hold off a powerful armored assault, especially when playing GDI, who's base defenses are weak.

Orca Launch Facility: This is the holy grail of GDI's devestating air support, where the bombers and fighters are stationed and where Carry All's are constructed. Easily able too rearm a fighter or a bomber within a minute or two, these things can rapidly ressuply Orca's too devestating effect.

Firestorm Defense System: Creating a force field around your base, this thing would be the perfect base defense unit - except for the fact that some NOD units can burrow, immuned to the surface forcefield. And make no mistake about it: Firestorm's have very weak armor. If a flame tank came up, emptied it's fuel on it, and burrowed before any GDI units could come, it would be crippled. And you can always brute force it, shoot at the forcefield until it comes down. And make no mistake, this thing is going to be expensive. I'd say at least 2800 (that's what the Advanced Comm in Tiberian Dawn cost.) However, it could be worth it in potential base defense.

Guard Tower: Make no mistake, these things are useful as hell, but GDI has always been behind in base defense, otherwise GDI would be too powerful. You can equip these things with either a SAM launcher, a TOW Anti-Tank missile launcher, or a Vulcan High Velocity Machine gun for infantry. These things lack the stopping power of an Oblisk, but they more than make up for it in economic efficiency.

General Lights: Which part of this do you not understand? Tiberian Sun uses an interactive enviornment meaning that rivers can freeze over, meteor showers can strike at random, and that day turns too night, in which you'll need illumination for your base. Hence, lights. You don't need to be Einstein to figure this one out people.

Spotlights: GDI apparently hasn't discovered night vision, so, alas, we have spotlight towers too light up enemy units. Your units will shoot with greater accuracy than there's will, and the difference is significant - about 25%. Use them. They only cost maybe 100 or so.

EMP Cannons: Ah, the infamous tank rush. You losers who utilized it in the first place, hah. Too break it up, the EMP cannon, which has a range of thirty cells, disables enemy units with one hit. Or at least, that's the plan. Its certain too require a lot of power and money, so don't get too caught up in the thought of sieging your opponents base with it. And it's vulnerable to air strikes.

Walls: Your simple concrete wall. Still one of the most effective defenses against light units and infantry. Amazing isn't it, how times change?

Gates: Now this is cool. As opposed too the past where units could just walk into your base and calmly blow it up, now your base is surrounded by concrete for them, but not for you. Clever isn't it?