I could use some advice. In the story tree, I had
Macmillan opt to stay with the Americans.
Now I am in the scenario named "Cold War", or
something very like that.
I keep losing, with the error message that I don't have
enough Siberite to complete the mission.
1. I selected one extra scientist (figuring one would do
research while the other would be out hunting apes and
resources), three soldiers, a mechanic and an engineer.
2. I immediately build a warehouse next to the Siberite
deposit in the south, then dump all the resources from the
cargo trucks into the warehouse.
3. Next, I build a lab, and put scientist Stevens into it. I think
I always begin with a technology upgrade, to be able to access
Siberite research.
4. Very frustrating, the game always refuses to allow my
engineer to build a Siberite mine, saying that I don't have
enough resources. It would be nice if it would say WHICH
specific resources are lacking.
5. I send the cargo trucks out with escorts to hunt for crates.
This map is HUGE, and I keep hearing the arrival of crates,
but they are incredibly, incredibly very very very very very
very very very hard to find. I hear them arrive, yet they don't
show up on the minimap.
6. The agonizing frustration of hunting for crates is made
eight trillion times worse with the arrival of the Arabs.
That flamethrower is unbeatable. The Double Guns don't
seem to make even a tiny dent in the Arabs, and the Gatling
gun is a joke.
7. At this point, maybe I've got a few crates, maybe if I'm very
lucky I've found and trained two apes as engineers. Finally,
I can build a Siberite mine.
8. Now, at this point, should I be using resources to
build a power plant of any kind? The dialog that MacMillan
speaks at the very start of this scenario says that both a lab
and a big power plant are needed, which really suggests
that the power plant should be Siberite, not solar....even if I
completely skip the power plant, I keep getting the "You lose, you
don't have enough Siberite" message. Feels like getting punched
in the back of the head. I've got this on the easist possible
setting! WTF????
9. I usually kill Gorki, sometimes he escapes, it doesn't
appear to make any difference.
10. There are never enough resources for anything, such as
a barracks, factory, etc. Yet if the ONLY thing I do is leave
a scientist in the lab doing Siberite research, and EVERYONE
else is hunting, hunting, hunting for crates, I still lose.
Every time.

Arab scientists have the ability to contaminate Siberite deposits, are you making sure to keep yours safe from this?

Ah....that's a good clue. I was peripherally aware of this, but, no, I haven't kept
a guard by the Siberite mine. Seems odd that they'd do this that fast, though.
Generally, the Arabs have launched two attacks, and Gorki has come on the map,
then I get the "Too Late" message that I've failed. Are you saying that there are
Arab scientists WALKING to the mine?? I've only seen them in those Trike things they use.
Anyway....I'll try again, with a guard.....but it's kinda messed up, MacMillan yells at
everyone to stay away from the radiation. Is there ANY other source of Siberite on the map? I've seen radiation spots near the far West edge of the map.
Also would be nice if I could figure out the mouse-click mechanics and sequence
that I have to go through in order to be able to "recycle" vehicles? How the heck does
that work?
I"d also love to know if lab upgrades cost resources, guess if I just pay attention it should be obvious.
Yeah.....I just tried posting a guard, and sure enough, a WALKING Arab scientist
came in and poisoned my Siberite mine. I had a vehicle equipped with a
Gatling gun, and brought over a soldier with a machine gun. The Arab acted
as if the bullets were BOUNCING OFF!!!!!
It took forever to kill the Arab, and meanwhile, the scientist just kept right on
working, poisoning the well.
Clearly, the NUMBER ONE PRIORITY for the base has got to be
a minimum of two autoturrets with gatling guns by the mine...which is
completely impossible, because there it's impossible to find the crates.
Go looking for crates? Nope, won't work. The Arab Trikes (especially the
flamethrower) cut through my tanks as if they were made out of toilet paper.
My double guns barely make a dent in the Arab vehicles. It's just insane.
Much much much too hard.

Yes, the scientists have to come to the mine and then destroy it (while sacrificing themselves).
I don't remember about any additional siberite deposit, I've played it a few years ago. However I was able to defend the mine with one bunker with soldier near the mine.
Recycle: enter a vehicle with a mechanic (or have at least one in the workshop/factory). Click the recycle button (I think it is in the middle, it has the recycle symbol) and then click the factory where you want to dismantle it.
Lab upgrades do cost some crates, for example weapon lab should cost about 50 crates. The siberite lab upgrades require some siberite too. It should be shown in the tooltip if you hold the cursor over the button for a while.

One autoturret is enough, IIRC.
You're simply wrong.
First of all - you don't simply send your men out to go looking for crates all the time. There HAS TO be a simpler way to do that, right ?
Right. There is. Crates are the reason one of the very first things I usually build is the optical lab. Once you have 'materialization detection' you will always know when and where crates spawn (as long as you have the lab and it is NOT being upgraded the second time... so - if you're going to do a second upgrade - do it exactly after some crates spawn and finish it ASAP). Using engineers to carry crates is simply degrading - train apes ASAP (before the opto lab and after mat. detection is researched, for example) - you'll need them for a lot of things. A single vehicle with a cargo bay is also crucial. Make it computer operated or at least remote-controlled to avoid wasting manpower on driving it...