No matter which side you align yourself with, this war is going to be bloody, tough, and extremely dangerous. But there are some basic rules of war you can implement to help you win any battle you encounter:

Build two harvesters to bring in money faster.

Don't buy silos; they're a waste of money. You can accumulate money without filling up your tiberium refinery. If you build an expensive item, then cancel it just before it's ready, the refinery will show a depletion in tiberium, and you get all of your money back.

Build a communications center to give you a satellite view of the battlefield.

Capture enemy buildings. From there, you can reap the benefits of having the buildings, sell them for money, or build a guard tower or turret next to them to attack all of the remaining enemy buildings.

Take over an enemy tiberium refinery and harvester at the same time. To do this, wait until the harvester is inside the refinery.

Keep your units spread out. Artillery, flamethrowers, grenadiers, and air strikes can take out large groups of people at one time.

Don't forget these keyboard commands found in the READ.ME file:

G -- Select your troops and hit "G" to have them guard an area.

X -- When you have a group of units selected, hit "X" to make them scatter. This is quite effective when dealing with tanks and bombing runs.

S -- This will stop your unit dead in its tracks.

1-0 You can group selected units into a team by hitting CTRL+ a number from 1 to 0. To select that group later on, just press the number you assigned to that unit. This is great for regaining control of your Orcas in the air after you deselected them.

CTRL: Hold down this key and click the mouse on a target to force your troops to attack it. You can even attack your own troops!

CTRL+ALT: These keys and a click of the mouse will order troops to guard a particular object, like a building or another unit. Use this to send a guard along with your harvester.

As the good guys, the advantage is yours. One look through the files our spies recovered from a Nod base shows that your side has better weapons, but don't get cocky; the Brotherhood will resort to all sorts of tricks in their attempts to take over the world. Here are some tips you can use to beat 'em:

Use APCs and tanks to run over people. Be warned, though; the computerized enemy often has an easier time running over your troops than you have squashing theirs.

Use Orcas to take out Nod turrets. Three Orcas can destroy a turret in one strike, but you'll have to be wary of nearby SAM sites. If Orcas aren't available, use grenadiers and bazooka men. They can get inside the turret's range and take it out without too much difficulty.

Build as many mammoth tanks as you can, then build some more. These suckers may be expensive and slow as molasses, but they can do some damage quickly. They can also take round after round of attacks, and they will slowly repair themselves to half strength.

Destroy the Nod power plants before attacking an Obelisk of Light. Without power, the Obelisks -- and usually the Nod base -- are useless.

If At First You Don't Succeed...

We've received a report that you failed to blow up the airstrip in the sixth mission -- so now you've been sent back to do the job right. Of course, it's going to be harder this time -- one of the hardest challenges you'll face -- but we have some data that will help you come out alive.

When you start out, you land on the shore with only part of your unit. Nod forces waste no time in attacking you as you await reinforcements. The strategy here is simple: Kill or be killed. The goal: Survive with your two tanks and as many units as possible. Gradually move your remaining units up above the first tiberium field. The farther north you go, the less distance your harvester will have to travel later on, but it's harder to stay alive in the beginning.

Start building two forces. Place one north of your base to protect your harvester, put the other down south to guard your base. As the mission progresses, you will slowly move these two forces closer to the Nod base. It is critical that you build two harvesters during this time to keep the money flowing in quickly. When the nearby tiberium runs out, your harvesters will go after a new field in the middle of the map. Advance your northern force just past the entrance of this field, and send some tanks and HUMVEEs in to take out the Nod turret.

Then move your southern force around the bend and through the neutral village. Turn right and head up the passage toward the Nod base. Now start building up both your forces. Once you have a couple of battalions of grenadiers and tanks, you will have no problem wiping out those evil Nod forces.

As a member of the Brotherhood of Nod, you're at a disadvantage. You don't have the technology that the GDI forces have, and your commander, Kane, likes to send you on nearly impossible missions to test your loyalty. So here are some tips you can use to defeat the GDI. Buy flamethrower-equipped troops and vehicles. These guys can take out groups of GDI forces in one attack.

Use recon bikes to scout the territory. They are faster than any GDI vehicle, so you can uncover large areas of the map and escape from attacking GDI vehicles. You can also use the bikes as decoys. Send one out into enemy territory and get the GDI forces to follow you back into a Nod ambush.

In the Heat of Africa

One of the hardest Nod missions comes when Kane asks you to recapture some technology centers (Mission 11). The odds aren't good that you will survive, but our operatives have come through with a clear-cut plan to squash the GDI forces.

You start out with just a few troops, plus your biggest asset -- a commando. Move your force due south, with your commando leading the way and killing all enemy resistance. When you come to the river, cross carefully through the tiberium field and head southwest. Whatever you do, avoid the harvester. Don't destroy it (you're going to need it) or fire at it (it will run you down).

Let the harvester head south and follow it in with your mini-gunners and bazooka men. Attack the two guard towers. After they are destroyed, rush your commando and engineers in to capture the technology center and power plant. Then take over the tiberium refinery while the harvester is inside.

You now have control of the first base. Unfortunately, the GDI troops are going to attack you relentlessly and you don't have much money. Immediately build a Tower of Nod, then start building bazooka men and two turrets. Place the turrets in front of the refinery. These turrets are probably your only hope of killing all the HUMVEEs, APCs, and tanks that'll try to overwhelm you. To keep your commando alive through all this, move him up behind the refinery.

At some point, you will notice you have a second group of troops below your base. These troops can't cross the river, but they can be used to destroy the nearby village and reap the bounty from a hidden crate.

If you've made it this far, you should be able to start building up forces. As you do this, be wary of bombing runs. The GDI planes will repeatedly hit your construction yard. To avoid this, build a repair bay next to your refinery; the planes will then concentrate on it. You will have to repair it a lot, but it reduces the chance of losing your construction yard.

When more ground attacks come, use your turrets and some tanks as a line of defense. Use your commando to take out GDI soldiers. And, at some point, place a group of bazooka men along the shore to destroy the GDI gunboat that keeps firing at you.

The key now is to build a massive force of vehicles and soldiers. When you have a large force, move the majority up near the entrance of the GDI base; they will go in through the front and take the brunt of the damage. Move another unit around to the far right side; they will go in at the top entrance.

As you are preparing to go in, harvest enough tiberium to build a new power plant and an Obelisk of Light. Build the plant. Buy the Obelisk, but don't place it yet. Take a unit of engineers, recon bikes, and soldiers up the left side of the base.

Now it's time to attack. It's going to be bloody, but send in all your units in front and on the right. Take out the guard towers, and the base will be yours. After starting the attack, break through the left wall, capture the GDI construction yard, and build your Obelisk of Light to the left of it. This tower of power will help you easily defeat the GDI forces.

Paths to Glory

As you progress through C&C, you will gain access to more and more buildings. Here's the rundown on what you can gain by building these structures (keep in mind that you won't have access to all of them until the final missions).

Global Defense Initiative

The Brotherhood of Nod