General Tao is China's nuke general in Zero Hour. He has fast tanks with Uranium Shells, MiGs carrying tactical nuclear missiles, an improved reactor and a Nuclear Missile silo that costs less than usual. The downside: radiation hurts his own troops too, and his reactors are dangerous to nearby buildings when destroyed. The numbers below come from the Zero Hour INI files, version 1.04.
Who is Tao
His full name is Tsing Shi Tao. He is a Class AAA general of the People's Liberation Army, 50, and his bio card places him at Base Ox in Chengdu. His tactics fit in two words: nuclear weapons. He wins with radiation and nuclear strikes.
Tao is arrogant. After a win he tells you that you were lucky to get out in one piece. After a loss he insists that one more moment and he would have turned you to dust.
How Tao's army differs from China
His features on the general card: tanks start with Uranium Shells, the Tactical Nuke MiG, the Isotope Stability upgrade, the Advanced Nuclear Reactor, the Nuke Bomber, and Nuke Cannons available from the start.
Compared using the Zero Hour 1.04 files (speed in game units):
| Unit or building | Tao | Regular China | What changed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overlord | speed 40, 22 s | speed 20, 20 s | twice as fast, builds slower |
| Battlemaster | speed 45, 12 s | speed 25, 10 s | almost twice as fast |
| MiG | 1400, missiles 100 and nuclear 150 / 320 | 1200, napalm 75 and 75 / 320 | more damage, higher price |
| Advanced Nuclear Reactor | 1200 | Nuclear Reactor: 1000 | +200, more power |
| Nuclear Missile | 4500 | 5000 | −500 |
| Helix | 1750 | 1500 | +250 |
| Black Lotus | 1600 | 1500 | +100 |
| Red Guard | 350, 12 s | 300, 10 s | +50 |
| Tank Hunter | 350, 7 s | 300, 5 s | +50 |
| Listening Outpost | 900 | 800 | +100 |
Speed stands out most. Tao's Overlord moves at 40 and keeps up with the US Crusader, which does 30. The regular Overlord, at 20, stays the slowest target on the field.
Strengths
- Fast heavy armor: Overlords and Battlemasters get to places the regular Chinese army can't reach in time.
- The MiG's 150-damage nuclear missile hits groups and leaves radiation behind.
- The Nuke Cannon from the start gives him artillery that breaks defenses from range 350.
- The Nuclear Missile is 500 cheaper, so his first nuke lands earlier.
Weaknesses
- Radiation also hits his own infantry, so keep Red Guards out of the strike zone.
- Infantry and aircraft cost more than in the regular Chinese army.
- The Advanced Nuclear Reactor is 200 more expensive. It explodes when destroyed, so build it away from key buildings.
- He trades on damage and speed, but tank health stays the same: his Overlord still has 1100.
Compare him with the other Chinese generals: Kwai brings cheap veteran tanks and the Emperor, Fai bets on infantry and fortified bunkers. Faction-wide numbers are on the China units page.
Playing Tao on a phone
Tao plays fast strikes, and on a phone the key is keeping the tempo:
- Keep fast armor (Overlords and Battlemasters) in group "1", Nuke Cannons in "2", MiGs in "3".
- Place Nuke Cannons behind the tanks. Tap group "2", then tap an enemy building.
- Before your Nuclear Missile fires, pull your own troops back: a double tap on a group slot moves the camera there so you can retreat the squad quickly.
If you picked a target for an ability and changed your mind, a long press of about 0.6 seconds or a two-finger tap cancels it. The rest of the gestures are on the controls page.
FAQ
Why are General Tao's tanks so fast?
In the 1.04 files his Overlord has speed 40 against 20 for regular China, and his Battlemaster has 45 against 25. His general card says his tanks start with nuclear upgrades.
What does Isotope Stability do?
It is a general-specific upgrade from his card. It makes his nuclear tanks safer: when they die, they don't explode in a burst of radiation that hurts nearby friendly units.
How is the Tactical Nuke MiG better than the regular MiG?
The regular MiG carries two napalm missiles at 75 damage each. Tao's MiG fires one missile for 100 and a nuclear one for 150, at the same range of 320. It costs 1400 instead of 1200.
Can I play the nuke general on a phone?
Yes. ZeroFront runs the original Zero Hour with every general. Setup is described on the Zero Hour for Android page.
All generals are listed in the Zero Hour wiki. The app and 24 hours of free access are in the bot @generals_mobile_bot.