Building a fighting force
During the early stages of the game, don’t be tempted by new and exciting technologies that will break your budget and provide minimum benefit in the field. Your main concern should be to build a force you can rely on to perform the multiple tasks of mining, attack, and defense in a wide variety of environments — without becoming obsolete after the first few missions. A typical mining/scouting configuration that will serve you well in varied planetary systems is the Remora, equipped with multiple ore extractors, enhanced armor, and modest weaponry.

As you begin purchasing larger HERCs to gear up for the more demanding defense and assault missions, careful examination of the benefits and drawbacks of new weapons systems is also necessary. Certain weapons will not operate in the thin or nonexistent atmosphere of some planets, and others can’t inflict damage on a Cybrid when its shields are up. As a rule, you should take the cautious approach when upgrading units — especially if a promotion mission can be successfully won with your current fighting forces, allowing you access to even greater technologies.

Mission Selection

While mining operations are a high priority, don’t accept every offer that the corporation throws at you in an attempt to build your wealth. Take into account the total percentage of ore expected (if it’s a paltry 2 or 3 percent, forget it), terrain, Cybrid threat levels, and, most importantly, gravity. Low-gravity planets let your units move over greater distances, allowing for a faster retrieval of goods. Keep a couple of smaller HERCs equipped with multiple ore extractors in your arsenal for the task of collecting the ore (their long range is invaluable when scouting ore deposits) and a couple of beefier, well-armed HERCs to deal with the potential of Cybrid attack and to protect the dropship. As your troops explore the map, proper management of the onboard extractors is essential to preserve vital power for defensive systems and life support. Keep these power-draining units offline until you’ve reached an ore deposit, and only use one extractor at a time.

As you move to defense or attack missions, leave the ore team behind and field your best and most experienced HERCs for combat against the Cybrids.

Bioderm Management

By now you’ve probably already figured out that purchasing and training new and better bioderm units is a crucial aspect of effective HERC command, but one mistake many commanders make is maintaining inefficient HERC pilots for far too long. To maintain a top-notch squad, follow this simple rule: after each promotion, recycle most of your current squad and purchase the best bioderm units you can. Their skill in the field, in combination with the better HERC technology that becomes available, will allow you to perform missions more quickly and efficiently and attack the Cybrids with deadly precision.

Battlefield Tactics

The simplest rule of engagement in CyberStorm is also the most overlooked — don’t present an easy target to the enemy. Whether you’re on a difficult assault mission or a seemingly safe mining mission, you should have each unit crouch after you’ve moved it into position, and align the shields to deflect potential attacks. As the missions become more difficult and the Cybrid units more numerous, you’ll want to purchase nanorepair technology for in-the-field fixes.

The Big Push

Once you’ve grown sufficiently in rank and status, you’ll inevitably be called upon to perform elite combat missions within each system. These are assaults against numerically superior Cybrids and tough installations that require you to maximize your firepower, move quickly, and remain focused on the goal. During these missions, you’ll face kamikaze attacks by small Cybrid units that attempt to wear down your forces, but by targeting the sensor arrays located around the map, you’ll be able to knock out the Cybrid intelligence guiding these nuisance ‘bots. That’ll let you concentrate on the deadlier adversaries closing on your position. The massive Demon HERC is the preferred choice for all but one of your units (which should be your favorite choice for scouting and scanning), allowing you to direct varied weapons systems against your opponents