No Multiplayer DLC. Just Challenges for every type of unit:

Hmm, that's interesting. I want to see what it'll be like.

That's also very cheap. I can't say no to $2 or $3 DLC.

Let's see it before we draw too many conclusions.

So, Ive been playing this game for a while and I think its really, really unbalanced. I've been stuck at the first desert level, and I have no idea what to do. The snipers that are so far away that I can barely see them hit headshots %100 of the time while my snipers cant hit guys bodies at half the distance most of the time. I don't think this is any good for normal difficulty level. I can take the first base but once I try to get to the second (I am aware of the sandstorms, walls/tank and trenches that are supposed to protect my soldiers)I get raped by the tanks and a squad of 3-4 snipers that take out my engineers and heavy weapons guys or anyone that gets past the first enemies base line. Every game I expect less and less from what my squad can do. Seeing my a guy take 20 shots from near point blank range and land half only to be return fired and killed makes me want to throw my $400 PS3 through my 2k$ tv.I figure I could grind out levels in skirmish mode, but grinding is gay and I don't really play games that do that. It is very possible that the game is accurately re-creating what would happen if a local militia took on an army superpower.

Another thing that pisses me off is I cannot get any score past C in skirmish mode. I can get through levels without taking more than a few bullets (no casualties) in 3-6 rounds while killing all the enemy and and I get a C. I'm definitely missing something with this game I assume.....unless it is just naturally brutally hard.

I dont care for the majority of dialog. There are a lot of chapters that I just wish I skip, but I want the full game experience. For the record Im not a big RPGer and this is only the 2nd SRPG I have every played so theres quit possibly A LOT of reasons that I just dont get this game.I dont want to head to gamefaqs or anything like that unless its absolutely necessary so Im not sure what to do, but the more I play this game, the less likely I am going to finish it.

You're just learing how to play the hard way that's all. First it's important to position your units taking into acount their mobility or their firepower (i.e. it's always very useful to have an engineer near a sniper or a lancer to replenish their ammo)...and one more thing, you're not forced to fill all the positions when you start, so do it wisely it's the key to a good strategy. Second, try to take out difficulties one after the other... snipers are a pain in the ass, take as much turns you need to wipe them out from the map and then proceed, and if you definitely can't get rid of an ennemy (in your case the tanks) try to get round it. Don't forget that some units make a very good defense line (scouts and engeneers can spot ennemies from afar so teaming them up can be rather useful to block incomming forces.

You don't need to take all the bases (of course taking them can be useful to impeed the ennemy to call for reinforcement..and for you to call units with low mobility). You don't need to kill each and every ennemy either, you just need to finish the mission in the least turns possible. A grades are most of the time won in one or two turns but don't worry about getting them, I've had only Cs and Ds except one or two A on my first playthrough, did not really bother with the skirmishes, and finished the game nontheless.

If you got the first base, then take a recovery break. i had a hard time too, till i noticed that i can bring the dead back by click on the Bases when choosing a character xD

and just drive thru´ everything, to get the edelweiss to the snipers. then a mortar and theyre done. :)

and try to use orders, theyre overpowered. 2 orders and a character kann kill everything. ^^

Take the game slow and don't worry about the grades.

Use cover and try to protect your tactical units (snipers and lancers)

Always move your tanks first and use them as cover for your infantry.

Looks like I'll never get around to finishing this game. >_>

For first desert level i suggest putting Largo and Rosy on the separated starting position (they can't leave it anyway) then spend first turn cleaning starting point from enemies - just make sure you are hidden from "sniper house" enemy has behind big rocks and tank and on turn two rush scout to the house roof - single scout in few moves can clear all the snipers there

I really like the game, but I do feel its grading is flawed.  Basically, it skews to speed - i.e. effectively exploiting the levels.

To get a B or A you mainly ignore enemies unless you have to engage them and focus on getting some scouts up fast to take the base.  Normally you don't have to bother taking out enemies, apart from those directly in the base, to secure victory.

I do think this is a shame as for the most part I played carefully, kept people alive and took my time clearly up foes as I went - and I always got a C or a D grade.

My suggestions, or at least what worked for me, is to focus on winning the battle carefully, C or D grade be damned, then use skirmish mode to go for A and B grades and to help get experience to level up your characters.  Once skirmish battles are unlocked you can do them as many times as you like, get exp each time, and practise on winning the maps faster.

Given the setup of the skirmish modes vs the main campaign, and the way they game actually reminds you to use skirmish mode to help level up, I think the developers felt you'd play through, use skirmish to practise, then play through again if you really wanted to ace the campaign - I don't know if its an aspect of Japanese design, not actually playing many SRPGs, etc. but it does remind me of Silent Hill games, which had the same underlying ethos - i.e. to be best you learned how to ace the game and did so to get the highest rating.

I simply decided to focus on the campaign as the story and winning each battle carefully and see skirmish mode as where I focused on getting better grades.  BTW it is satisfying to get an A and find you can win some levels with as little as 2 or 3 turns.

More specifically for the battle you mention I'd advise:

1) don't start with all units deployed (one of the best things I found that worked for me was actually starting each battle with empty slots

2) use your tank aggressively - get it forward and use it to take out foes

3) protect your tank - keep largo next to it and use him to help it take out other tanks, also keep and engineer next to it to repair it.  Make sure both are 'hidden' from foes behind the tank

4) get the base with the snipers a.s.a.p.  one scount and one shocktrooper can clear it if you're carefull.  Use the same person multiple times for example

5) remember to shot for the head - use the d-pad to aim its actually better than the sticks, and if you're careful you'll find even scouts this early can take down foes fairly easily

6) watch out for landmines, don't make silly mistakes.

7) once your tank is in range of snipers take them out with mortarts

8) if you want focus on clearing path to their base and taking it, ignorning foes of to the side of the map, you'll still win once you clear camp with a mortar blast and rush a scout in to take it