| “ | The battlefield is a messy place. - Ambulance |
” |
The Ambulance was an unarmed variant of the American Humvee designed for a battlefield support role, and mostly (indirectly) saw combat during the GLA Conflict.
Background[]
Medical staff can use the equipment on the Ambulance to heal nearby soldiers or the occupants of the ambulance back to fighting condition. Later in the conflict, Ambulances were also able to repair nearby vehicles. Additionally, the Ambulance is immune to radiation and toxins, and could clear ground contamination by spraying a special foam.
Game unit[]
| “ | Be right on it. - Ambulance |
” |
The Ambulance is a lightly armored but cheap and highly useful support vehicle within the American army's arsenal. Perhaps their notable ability is their ability to heal nearby allies. In Generals, they passively heal all nearby infantry, and up to three can be stationed inside the vehicle itself to bring them back to full HP even faster. Infantry carried in Ambulances cannot fire from within, but will always survive its destruction with 50% health.
As of patch 1.01 of Zero Hour, the Ambulance is additionally able to repair all friendly vehicles, dramatically improving its supportive capabilities. It will continue to heal even while carried within a Chinook, acting somewhat like a Speaker-upgraded Helix. Unlike Speaker towers, ambulances cannot heal air units even if they are landed, such as a Chinook while loading units.
The Ambulance's ability to clean up toxins from the battlefield is used less often, but it is extremely efficient in this role. The ambulance can clean everything from the local contamination of a Toxin Tractor all the way up to the widespread effects of an Anthrax attack. Obviously, the ambulance can also be use to rush infantry safely through contaminated regions. Additionally, a clever general could use the ambulance's immunity to chemical weapons by distracting GLA toxin troopers, toxin tunnels or toxin tractors, which could be coaxed into futilely spraying the ambulance.
Despite its appearance, the Ambulance is unarmed and completely defenseless. Although drones can provide limited defense, Ambulances should always be escorted by combat units.
Abilities[]
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Clean Toxins
Removes radiation and toxins from the target area.
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Upgrades[]
Drones[]
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The Scout Drone increases the vehicle's sight range and reveals nearby stealth units.
Costs $100.
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The Battle Drone is armed with a small machine gun, and could also repair its parent vehicle.
Costs $300.
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Hellfire Drone (Zero Hour only)
The Hellfire Drone fires a small but surprisingly powerful missile against enemy ground units.
Costs $500.
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Drones can be further upgraded with the Drone Armor upgrade.
Changelog[]
- Zero Hour patch 1.01: can now repair friendly vehicles
Quotes[]
| When selected |
|---|
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| When ordered to move |
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| When ordered to crush |
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| When ordered to perform ability: Clean Toxins |
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| When ordered to perform ability: Heal |
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| When ordered to perform ability: deploy a Battle Drone |
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Trivia[]
| “ | Repair vehicle ready for service! - Mechanic unused quote |
” |
- An unused model exists for a "medical drone", which would likely serve the same function as the Ambulance, but it was scrapped in favor of the Ambulance during development.
- General Alexis Alexander was supposed to have her own version of the Ambulance called the "Mechanic", which would repair vehicles instead of healing infantry. The Mechanic could hold up to six infantry and was armed with a small machine gun. The unit was cut, but its model and voice files still exist. The ability to repair vehicles was given to the existing Ambulance unit in the released version of Zero Hour.
- Interestingly, a military's ambulance would legally be considered a non-combatant, and thus attacking it would be considered a war crime under Geneva laws. The GLA wouldn't take issue since their goal is terror in nature; however, the USA attaching a combat drone to it would be a war crime too, since non-combatants are not allowed to be armed (except in self-defense). The Geneva laws are a Quid-Pro-Quo treaty, however, so the GLA's failure to sign the treaty (not that non-state factions are allowed to, anyway) means they are not protected under any clause of the code.
- Per the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Terrorists (originating from 9/14/2001), international laws such as the Geneva laws no longer apply to US anti-terrorist operations after 9/11; thus, the matter would be left to whatever the US rules of engagement allows.
Gallery[]
Medical drone from the leaked Generals build 98
Mechanic cameo
Unused Mechanic model
See also[]
- Speaker Tower, similar unit-repairing structure
- Biohazard Technician, campaign-only chemical-cleaning infantryman
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