I always wondered why the game wasn't more popular - we used to have a great time with it up at work in the late 90's. MAX2 pretty much sucked though; I can remember literally not being able to get past about 30 turns before it would crash.
A service like this for older games is so long overdue, I hope it takes off.

Im so excited about this game being on here maybe it might get some well deservered and long overdue attention, one of the true underrated games of the 90's for me, pitty the sequal was to buggy to play :(

I remember playing hot seat with my friends back in junior high. This is one of my most memorable games.

I played the demo of this back in high school, on a machine hidden away in the school library... and by the time I was able to buy it, it was long gone, and I've been looking for it on and off ever since, eventually figuring it was simply relegated to the dustbin of gaming history, a huge disappointment considering how much I loved the game. And now, all of a sudden, here it is!
Thanks gog for bringing back one of the best games ever made!

exactly :)

Yeah! This was my favorite game too! Even the first mission was not easy (for my), and this is why i loved it.
Ah. It was more than 10 year ago.

This is pretty much Standard Operating Procedure for taking out bases when there are no land units around to destroy the AA emplacements. In fact, one of the fatal flaws of MAX's otherwise very capable AI is that it won't do the same thing when dealing with your AA guns. Put enough of them out there with overlapping fields of fire and you effectively prevent the AI from employing any of its air power against your base.

Same is here. I usually destroy the enemy's AA first, with the help of Upgraded Ground Attack Planes, and AWACS (some times I even build landing pads near to the enemy base and repair my planes there).
There ARE times when the AI finally moves in with a pack of airplanes at once into the heart of your base to try to destroy your AA units. I seen such a thing. The only problem with that is when the AI finally attacks with it's planes, my AA turrets usually has 3 bullets and longer Attack Range then an Artillery Turret :) There is no way to penetrate my air-space :P

This game is one of my all time favorites. A relatively simple game, but I love the building, expanding and resource gathering/control. A favorite for a lighter game that sill has plenty of fun and replayability to it.
One of my tactics for taking out tough AI defense strong points or opening gaps, was to use air transports to move in missile crawlers or other long range units just outside of air defense range. Of course, that varies since the AI seems to build a lot of missile crawlers or missile defenses with long range. What I would do in tough fighting is air transport units forward to attack, then transport them back again the same turn to avoid counter attack. To cover longer distances plus the pull back, I'd keep air transports staged along the way, covered by mobile anti-air (transported in) and fighters. That could be risky though, if the AI mass attacks with fighters, but otherwise it could really work well. Sometimes though I don't use that tactic since it seems to give me too much advantage.

M.A.X. is also one of the most perfectly designed games in the history of computer gaming. Leaving aside the effectiveness of the AI, the actual game design is perfect, or as near perfect as games can get. It is the WoW or DOOM of strategy games. It's almost criminal that it never received the attention it deserved.
One small chink in M.A.X.'s armor is the lack of random maps, but there are enough static maps included to almost make up for it.

@ Count Farat, same here, but I have noticed Cyberstorm 1 & 2, on the voting thing to get on this site. Also, I tend to do covert attacks.