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I think both M4 and sniper rifle are good choices. M14 is also a good alternative instead of using M4, but only for guys whose sniper skill is over 100. I've never missed with a sniper rifle and I think sniper skill 80+ is enough for that. I use following combos (primary & secondary weapons) for my guys:
rpg + M4
sniper rifle + grenades
M4 + grenades
M14 + grenades
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And in reference to your comment about H2H:
You don't get killed with H2H, you get wounded, which costs a crapload and a half, especially when you're trading leather and shoes. The sniper skill needs to be built up AS SOON AS you begin the game, otherwise the RPG will miss almost all the time.
Also, saying that the M4 is one of the best weapons in the game for not very strong units is an oxymoron
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Nilloc, you are incorrect. From long range, the M4 does a pitiful 4 damage per shot, whereas the sniper rifle has a respectable 12 damage per shot MINIMUM. Also, if you aren't stupid enough to have less than 8 people, you won't need to use more than 5 shots per person, especially if you have RPGs. The same goes for your reference to the weight of the weapon and ammo, since you'll be pumping out 5 shots max, you only need say 20 bullets, and that's for emergences only. The M4 is strictly a noob hunter, and under no circumstances should you do the DP missions with the M4.
A) It's suicide
B) Against military armour, the M4 does 1 damage per shot.
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flish since money is not an issue i must point this out to you a char with 120 sniper can do a TON more damage with an m4 than even the best sniper due to the fact that the sniper has to reload evry 5 rounds while doing aim shots where as an M4 has to evry 30 and since the M4 does almsot he same as a sniper 11-13 M4: 11-16 sniper also an M4 can do bursts making at a highly effective wepon at close range it also is a lighter wepon than eny sniper and its ammo is lighter as well (100 7.53 NATO is more than 100 5.43 NATO)
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M4's are awful in comparison with the sniper rifle, I think the main reason why people use them is that they're a usual drop from the robbers you kill other than that, anyone who'd chose an M4 over a sniper rifle is just dumb. Sniper rifle are accurate and delivers awesome damage, though they may cost a pretty penny, later in the game you'd be able to afford these.
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gman the M4 is one of the best wepons in the game for not very stong units and you get STR for walking around but its VERY HELLISHLY slow and you have to be a moron you get killed useing H2H at hte start and sniper skill is not important at the start you get tons of time later
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Get the Garand after 1 round of trading in the "Small 3", cos you make more money the first time round when you spend less on things apart from trade goods.
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If you can't afford any of that, stick to what you start with until you can afford one better. What I just explained is the best course of action in the long run, trust me, I have more than 10 million in cash, and I hire people just to drive my Hummers :P
Check out the walkthroughs in the forums, SevenofSpades made a really good one.
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Please note, all of the previous weapons cost a shoot-load of money, so here's the poor-man's arsenal:
M4s: Although they are a pale shadow of the CETME machine-gun damage-wise, and have nowhere near the durability of the sniper rifle, early in the game, these weapons are worth their weight in gold. The accuracy boost is the highest in the game up until you get the sniper rifle.
M1 Garand: For a one-off cost of a little, you can pack some heat with the usually horrifically poor damage of the Springfield rounds. Only use these if you don't have the cash for an M4.
Shotguns: Inefficient weapons, but if you're caught flat-footed right-next to enemies, these babies pack a whallop to nearby victims. (also a guaranteed 1 damage hit from any range)
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Will everyone shut it with the M4s already? They suck ass. Giving sniper rifles only to your best snipers is sheer idiocy.
The sniper skill on the gun IMPROVES the sniper skill of the person wielding the weapon. Therefore making the person more accurate.
Here's the set-up:
RPGs first and foremost, if they have the strength to hold 2 rounds and a secondary weapon. They need high(ish) sniper skill also, missing is costly.
Secondly, Sniper rifles. GOD GAVE THE CARAVANEER SNIPER RIFLES!!! These things are godly in the way they improve your entire group. They have fantastic accuracy and deadly damage.
Thirdly, grenades! If someone doesn't have high-powered explosives, they're reduced to picking off individuals, which hurts you later in the game.
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i agree with the Gman there's nothing about H2H combat being able to increase your strength, it really is a last resort sorta thing, when ya run outta bullets and all.
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nilloc, you use rifles to kill the robbers at the start to train up your sniper skill. You train in strength just by walking around. The best kill method at the beginning is rifles. H2H is a) dangerous, and b) costly in medication.
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Well mardek2 deserves to be in the top 5, but other than that one I think the rest rated high in here are overrated. Especially feudalism (UGH!) and Sonny. Sonny is ok but I don't understand why everyone thinks it's so great.
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I love this game. The government mission is too short though. I started a new game so I could see what it's like if you do the evil way, and it's just one simple mission, and then the whole story is over. I find it hard to believe that all Raff needed to destroy the resistance was a taxi ride to Platz. Hehe... anyway I give this 6/5 if I could. The games in this category that are rated higher than it are crap compared to this one.
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darealgman i reccomend H2H wepons at the START to train str later on yes things like m4s rigs9s hand grenades are the only way to go but if you are going to fight the tiny robbers by popa cosa and stuff use H2H wepons
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Close combat weapons are utterly pointless, and pistols are nearly as bad. Always use rifles/snipers/RPGs, with grenades as a backup if you have spare room.
Equip with RPGs if you can, with snipers as a secondary weapon. If the weight's too high, use snipers, an if the weight's still too high, use rifles/M4s.
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Thats news to me that carrying a katana will increase strength. Is it hitting enemies with katana or just carrying it which increases strength? I've never used katanas and my people gained more strength very slowly over time. At most 3 points to strength in 3 and half months of game time. That's when I completed the DP campaign when I played it last time. At the same time some of my guys got 7-8 APs more.
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nilloc: I know that "shoot and hide behind cars" tactic, but you can hardly do that with a katana guy, cause he must engage in melee combat. Before he can do that, he will probably be exposed to a few hits, cause he's the guy in front. In that case low hitpoints are a real disadvantage. Anyway I'm sure that you've done well with your style and I've done well with a little different style. That's one of the good aspects of Caravaneer that you can play it in many successfull ways.
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richie give him a katana nad he will get more STR means mroe carrying i got him to carry 30 KGS af crap and he had 20 AP HP does not man much since you can jsut have your guys hide behind your vehicles or animals and let them taake the hits then pop out on your turn, shoot, and go back in
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Al Habash trains the fastest out of the rest cos he has more AP, which means he shoots more than the rest. He's a fine addition to an army.
And boombox, I have 25 guys, and most of them are just drivers for my hummers, I have a core of 15 troops that are good at killing.
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There are many ways to build a good squad and plenty of npc's to choose from. I didn't mean that taking that Al Habash guy is a mistake, no way.
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Well he's ok for the early stages, but I don't use him, cause he's got low hitpoints, low accuracy (that can be improved) and low carrying capacity. Besides he's got 12 APs, not 14. That's his only good ability. APs are important, but they can be improved quite easily running around the battlefield. I'd rather take guys who have otherwise good stats, but necessarily not so many APs and then train them.
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boombox: I agree that 10-13 well trained guys is enough to defeat any enemy squad, but usually have ~20 guys, cause then I can have 20 cars too and more cargo space.
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Did anyone defeat the army guys at the and of the mission were you going to fight qubba? they simply have t much hp 120-130 and they have 30 man with granades and a few with rifles a try-d everything grenades rpg-s but simply can't do it
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monkeyassassin: I always hire Baranauskas from Poca Cosa as early as I can. Besides him there aren't any useful guys in the first three towns, but you need to take somebody else to your party anyway. With three guys you can go a little further. Next towns where you can find useful people are Verdammter Platz and Nirgendwo, but going there is a little bit risky. Maybe you need 5 guys to do that. Best people can be found in the northwestern part of the map, especially Fort Goks and Qubba. I think that 15-20 guys is optimal amount to complete the game. Make sure you have the best ones! If you hire more than 20, they only hinder each others movement.
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Flish: First of all when you battle the army regiments, you need guys with 15+ APs armed with rpgs so they can take out most of the enemy squad before they get to shoot at your guys. If your guys don't have that much APs, fight some ordinary police squads to get more experience and APs before you launch the final attack on Qubba. When you are ready to battle the army, you need to leave all animals from your caravan so that you can move quickly. You can fight the regiments one at a time near Qubba and between the battles you should heal your troops in Qubba.