Technical (Generals 1)

The Technical is a GLA Light Armed Transport Generals and Zero Hour.
== Background ==
Since it lacked the dedicated defense production lines of the superpowers, the GLA bought commercially available civilian pickup trucks, mounted a basic machine gun in the pickup bed. Technicals became the GLA's basic transport and were used in the role of aa general-service utility and reconnaissance vehicle.
==Upgrades==
===Base===
	Armor-Piercing Bullets	More potent ammunition for the Technical: 25% more damage. 	Purchasable at any Black Market for a cost of $2000.
	Junk Repair 	Upgrade allows Technicals to auto-repair while in the field. This increases their chances of survival after being damaged.	Purchasable at any Black Market for a cost of $2000.
===Promotion===
	Technical Training	All Technicals built from the Arms dealer emerge as veterans.	Purchased from the Generals Promotional Menu by generals of any rank.
===Salvage===
In addition, the Technical's gun could be upgraded with salvaged parts:
* If upgraded once, the Technical's gun is replaced with a Cannon that improves its matchups against lightly armored vehicles and can deal splash damage.
* If upgraded twice, the Technical's Cannon is replaced with a Rocket Launcher, doing even more damage to vehicles. However, these rockets can be intercepted by point defense lasers or scrambled by ECM tanks.
Any further salvage crates are converted into credits.
==Game Unit==
The counterpart of USA's Humvee, the technical could transport up to 5 infantry units in addition to the driver and gunner. Technicals lack firing ports, but can become more formidable through the use of salvage upgrades. If destroyed, any infantry within will survive its destruction at half health. It is one of the faster vehicles in the game. 
=== Strategy ===
The Technical is highly versatile. Its exceptional mobility makes for a good scout. Due to their affordability, speed and early access, the Technical excels at early rush attacks, potentially depositing an infantry force into an unprepared base. On their own, Technicals' machine guns are quite effective against infantry, and it becomes effective against vehicles once salvage upgrades have been added.
===Counters===
Meant for asymmetrical warfare, Technicals are only lightly armored, reliant on their speed to get out of trouble. They don't fare well in direct action, and will fall easily under sustained fire, and are very vulnerable to aircraft. Even when aided by upgrades, Technicals still require considerable support to defeat heavy vehicles. While it can carry infantry units, infantry cannot fire from within and must dismount to engage any enemies.
==Changelog==
* Generals sneak peek patch 1.02: 
** hit points decreased from 220 to 180
** 2nd level weapon changed to small-arms damage type instead of explosive to do less damage to tanks
** 3rd level weapon no longer likely to miss infantry
** can no longer kill the soldiers inside Stinger sites
** Raptors and MiGs slightly more effective against Stinger sites
* Zero Hour patch 1.02: Technicals build slightly slower and cost 50 more credits for Juhziz
* Zero Hour patch 1.03: 
** cannon (salvage upgrade) damage now has different properties
** machine gun damage reduced from 15 to 10
** damage increases when purchasing AP bullets after the second salvage upgrade
** increased build time from 3 to 5 seconds (except Juhziz)
** with the demolition upgrade, the technical can only explode by manual command (Juhziz only)
==Quotes==
==Trivia==
* The name comes from the fact that the money to make such vehicles in real life often came from extorting members of various Medical Aid and Relief organizations, which would write off the money they were forced to give as "Technical Expenses".
* Technicals' gunner models are attached to the vehicles' turrets, rather than drivers. As such, attacks that disable vehicles through crew removal (such as Jarmen Kell's sniper rounds or neutron shells deployed by Chinese Nuke Cannons) have no effect on the gunner visually on hit, though the vehicle itself remains neutral until it is commandeered by another infantry unit.
* As depicted in its concept art, Technicals would have allowed its passengers to fire from within, regardless if they were in the vehicles' cabins or beds.
* Technicals have three models, randomly chosen when they are produced. Despite their varying aesthetics, all are functionally identical.
* The original wreckage of the technical can be seen if an Overlord tank crushes it.
==Gallery==
File:Generals_Technical.jpg|In an in-game cutscene
File:CNCG Technical Concept Art.jpg|Concept art by Phil Robb
File:CNCGen_Technical_HD.png|Render
File:CNCG Technical Render.jpg|Concept art/render
File:Gen1 Van Icons.png|Unused icon variant
File:Technical_Texture.png|Alpha texture
==See also==
*Quad cannon, one of the two GLA basic anti-infantry vehicles
*Battle bus, one of the two GLA infantry transports
*Humvee, American counterpart
*Troop crawler, Chinese infantry transport counterpart
*Gatling tank, Chinese anti-infantry vehicle counterpart
*Assault troop transport, Shin Fai counterpart
Category:Generals 1 vehicles