| “ | Warning: Scud Storm Detected! - USA Advisor |
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A Scud Storm was a building armed with nine toxin-filled Scud missiles, mixed with both explosives and anthrax. Due to the range, destructive power, and expense of construction, this weapon was considered a 'Superweapon'.
Actually, the Scud Storm is the main reason for the USA and China to engage the GLA, because the Scud Storm shifted the balance of world powers in favor of the GLA, at the cost of the USA and China.
Like all GLA buildings, it would leave a GLA Hole behind when destroyed. If the GLA hole wasn't destroyed quickly a Worker would emerge and begin to rebuild the Scud Storm, at no cost to the GLA.
The stark differences of Scud missile statistic between the Scud used in this building with one employed in the Scud Launcher suggest that GLA employ more than one Scud missile type. The Scud used in the site is clearly superior, has larger fuel tank and both explosive and chemical warhead, although it still lacks accuracy.
Abilities[]
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Scud Storm | When launched, the Scud Storm will fire 9 missiles onto the target, which randomly strike anything in a wide area. These missiles not only explode with devastating force, but also leave behind deadly clouds of toxin that will damage any vehicles and kill any infantry that try to enter the target area after the attack. |
Upgrades[]
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Anthrax Beta | When purchased, improves the toxin used by the Scud storm missile. Dr. Thrax instead upgrades to Anthrax Gamma. | Purchasable from any Palace for a cost of $2000. |
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Anthrax Gamma | When purchased, improves the toxin used by the Scud storm missile further. | Purchasable Dr.Thrax's Palace for a cost of $1500. |
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Camo Netting | Upgrades Scud Storm with camo netting, rendering it invisible to enemy forces until it fires or is fired upon, or detected by detectors. | Purchasable at the building for a cost of $500. Prince Kassad only |
Tactics/Counters
The building itself had no defense against an attack and was a large target. It took some time to fuel the missiles and thus could not be fired immediately after construction. As with all weapons of mass destruction; however, once the Scuds were launched, there was no way to defend against them, meaning the only effective counters involved was destroying the Scud Storm while it is fueling. Once the missiles were launched, replacement missiles were delivered via tunnel network, or may be constructed underground. The shooting mechanism of the Scud is fixed to simultaneously launch all Scud missiles and disabling possibility of launch a single Scud, diminishing the fear of Scud inaccuracy. However it takes a total of 15 seconds to launch all the Scud missiles. If generals manage to destroy the Scud Storm before it can launch all of its missiles, only the number of scuds that manage to launch successfully will hit its target, meaning if it manage to launch 2 scuds but is destroyed before launching all of its payload, only those 2 missiles will hit its target. Like all other GLA buildings, it did not require any power to function and thus there was no way to delay the launches. However EMP's could temporarily disable a Scud Storm, preventing fueling to continue, and also preventing launch even if the missiles were fueled. Microwave tanks could also shut them down, provided they could focus the beam on the building and weren't destroyed. Countermeasures such as point laser defence or air superiority is futile given the missile trajectory, armor, and large warhead.
Usage[]
The first known use of this weapon was against the attacking USA forces in Baghdad, but the GLA commander missed his target and instead made a considerable number of civilians in a crowded market square taste the poison of anthrax. As the only drawback of the weapon was its expense and the length of time that it took to construct the weapon, these weapons were deployed by GLA commanders as much as possible. As with all Superweapons, a single activation lacked the destructive potency required to destroy other superweapons or command centers on its own.
Ironically, because of the principle behind the weapon being multiple smaller explosions over a wide area rather than a continuous focused attack or a single large explosion, the SCUD storm was the best superweapon in a match against enemy GLA players. As the superweapon itself would "cover" the target area with anthrax smoke for some time, it is a recommended option for area denial purpose.
There was at least one instance of a SCUD Storm being used by forces allied with the US. This occurred when a local GLA commander rebelled against Doctor Thrax and swore loyalty to an American commander during the events of Zero Hour.
Generals[]
All of the GLA generals had slightly different Scud Storms:
- Prince Kassad could camouflage his Scud Storm, to be invisible until it was fired. Unlike his other GLA compatriots, the weapons have not received any changes.
- General Rodall Juhziz replaced the Anthrax load in favor of planting more explosive warheads on missiles, making his Scud Storm even more powerful in explosive power, powerful enough to destroy an enemy superweapon in a single strike, but it will not contaminate the area anymore. However, should his Scud Storm be destroyed, a residue of basic Anthrax would remain where the superweapon used to be.
- Dr. Thrax replaced a part of the explosives charge with more Anthrax, making his Scud Storm less explosive, but it highly contaminated the area. Along with Juhziz, Dr. Thrax's Scud Storm can destroy another super weapon, as his missiles gain more damage due to the toxin upgrade, and the fact that Anthrax Gamma is strong enough to erode buildings. Suspiciously enough, like General Rodall Juhziz, Dr. Thrax's Scud Storm, when destroyed, leaves a basic anthrax residue.
Trivia[]
- In reality, the R-17 Elbrus (NATO reporting name - SS-1 Scud) is a missile designed to be fired from mobile platforms as it has range of only 300-500 (for Scud-C) km. Placing it on a stationary launcher will require the launcher to be erected near its target (and the erection of a massive military installation is hard to hide). What's more - as depicted in game, the launcher mechanism and the missiles are unprotected against any attack, and would have been subjected to an airstrike as soon as the facility became noticed - and since the GLA has no air defense against high-altitude bombers or high-speed cruise missiles, the whole device would be rather implausible.
- Originally, General Alexander (A.K.A. Super Weapons General) was supposed to have a Reverse-Engineered Scud Storm called the "Tomahawk Storm", which fires Tomahawk Missiles instead of Scud Missiles, But it was removed or replaced by the Particle Cannon. However, the model with the cameo still remains in the Zero Hour Game Files.
- There is bug via the game which allows the player to continuously fire Scud Storm missiles on a specific target if the Scud is built at 0%. The player must select a worker to build a Scud but to stop him before he reaches it. There must be at least 1 military unit onscreen in order for the bug to work. The player then selects the Scud and presses Q (select all military units onscreen), then does a force attack on the target (control click). The SS will then continuously fire Scud missiles on the target. The only way to stop it is to sell the SS.
- Rodall Juhziz was supposed to have his own Model of SCUD Storm, it is Triangular in shape and its Toxin storage to the middle was removed. However, this model was cut for unknown reasons, but in mods like Shockwave revives this kind of model.
- General Leang's Scud Storm was changed in NProject Mod; it was changed to require 10 power points and it's shut down if the power is low.
See also[]
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