Spring - User contributions [en]

FAQ

2007-08-11T20:01:49Z

Comp1337: /* What is Spring? */

==General information==

===What is Spring?===
Spring is a project to create the best RTS ever (no joke). There are three principle goals which we hope to achieve.

# Reach a stage where TA Spring can flawlessly execute most of Total Annihilation's original gameplay, with its original units in their original format.
// This goal has been achieved, Multiple TA-style mods are now around ranging from [[BOTA]] which is Basically OTA, to [[CA]] which rebalances most of the units and roles while keeping then graphical style. A bunch of non-TA mods are also available, such as; [[Kernel Panic]], [[Gundam Annihilation]], and [[1944: Spring]]

# Add new features as we see fit, fix bugs, and release new versions when we feel it is appropriate to do so.

# Support the mod community as we see fit.
// A quite robust modding system is implemented allowing ease of modding or just making a mutator for an existing mod. This can be done either mod or map side, allowing special buildings to be included in a map.

# Improving the already fine original TA Interface in a way that the Players will have more tactical Options, more Control, more Comfort and still don`t get lost, as long as they are willing to learn.
//There has recently been added support for LUA widgets and gadgets which will help you customize the interface to your needs. The UI is personal again.

The goals might need an update.. -- Tim Blokdijk

===Is Spring free?===
The core game is released under GPL License. Fortunately as of now, there are also two mods which have been released under the GNU/GPL, and several more which do not have clear licence terms (owned by their modder).

However, there are also several mods for which some parts are still under copyright of Atari. For these you need to own the original TA game if you want to play.

===Why can I edit this page?===
This page, and several others, are located in the Spring [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiki Wiki]. The link gives a full explanation of what it is, but in short it is a way of letting anyone who wants to contribute to the page content. This can of course be abused, but even while it is easy for someone to vandalise the page, it is just as easy for someone to restore it, since the wiki saves all previous versions of a page.

===Why can't I edit this page?===
You need to be [[Special:Userlogin|logged in]] to edit our wiki because people were vandalizing and/or being morons too much, so they had to lock it down.

===I want to help, what can I do?===
Please look at the Messageboard. There are lots of things you can do according to your skills. Particularly important is to create viable and pleasing free alternatives to copyrighted material, mainly sounds and units.

===I want to donate.===
People have made clear their desire to donate to the project, and so far, we have been fairly reluctant about accepting donations. Our main concern? While we certainly hope to have something on the level of a commercial release in the near future, there is no guarantee that it will ever happen. Unforeseen events arise, and it would be most unfortunate if everyone who donated felt swindled because the project did not turn out as they had hoped.

We do not plan to be more or less productive solely based upon the quantity and frequency of donations received. The Spring project is here only because we view this as an enjoyable hobby.

===I read all that and I still want to donate.===
Very well then! You can find the required details [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/donate.php here]. It will be much appreciated. :)

----

==Technical==

===What port numbers does Spring use?===
Game uses port 8452 UDP by default, which can be changed in the lobby. If you are behind a router, and are having problems hosting, try forwarding the correct port and also make sure the firewall is not blocking it.

===What APIs does Spring use?===
The Windows version of the program (Which is the Binary that can be downloaded from this site) uses: OpenGL for rendering, DirectSound for sound, and Winsock for networking.

The Linux port, see [[MultiplatformSpring]] with more info below, uses SDL/OpenGL for rendering, OpenAL for sound (which will connect to DirectSound on Windows and OSS or ALSA on Linux), BSD sockets for networking.

===I am having really bad framerates (fps) on my dual core! What am i doing wrong?===
Currently spring does not like dual/quad cores, you will get really bad framerates. To solve this, you have to restrict it to run on one core. Download the file from http://www.robpol86.com/Pages/imagecfg.php follow the instructions, and make all of the spring exe files (spring.exe, TASClient.exe, all others) run on one core. It will run much faster.

===What language is Spring written in?===
The spring game engine is written in C and C++. The Windows lobby client is written in Delphi, the lobby server is java. Another portable lobby is being made in Python.

===Is Spring open source?===
Yes, it is. Go to the [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/download.php downloads] section of the site to download the source code.

===Is there any documentation for the source code?===
Yes, doxygen is used to automatically generate the [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/doxygen/ documentation]

===Is Spring a Portable Application?===
Can someone answer this question here? By portable I mean that it can be played off of a flash drive or other removable storage. See [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portable_application].

==Requirements==

===What platforms will Spring run on?===
At the moment, it runs on Windows, Linux and basicly on [[Spring_on_MacOSX |Mac OS X.]]

===What sort of a system do I need to run Spring?===
You need a 3D graphics card to run Spring, which will probably require at least a a GeForce4 MX and the latest driver supported. Minimum CPU requirements are a little more complex. A more powerful CPU will have the capability to support larger maps and a greater maximum unit limit. A 1 GHz CPU should be able to support an estimated 500 units. The needed memory will also vary with unit count and map size, and Spring has been known to have worked with 256 MB of Ram (albeit with lowest detail levels).

For further details and tested Systems check the [[Requirements]] page.

===Spring says I need the GL_ARB_texture_env_combine extension, what can I do?===

This error can be caused by various things:

'''1:''' Old video Hardware.

'''2:''' Old drivers.

'''2:''' Bad installed Drivers.

'''3:''' Bad game settings.

If your hardware is old check [http://www.delphi3d.net/hardware/extsupport.php?extension=GL_ARB_texture_env_combine THIS] list, if you cant find your video card then, sorry, you have to buy a new video card.

If your hardware is in the above list or you are sure that your video card support this opengl extension download [http://www.realtech-vr.com/glview/download.html THIS] software. Intall, run, and check if under the ''Report'' tab there is the ''GL_ARB_texture_env_combine'' string.
If the string is present then the problem resides in your Spring settings, try lower screen resolution and disable all graphics effect.
If the string is not present and your hardware is in the list the problem are your video card drivers. To solve this '''UNINSTALL ALL PREVIOUS DRIVERS''' and install last stable drivers for your video card. Usually the problem shows when there are uninstalled old video drivers on the system.

'''NOTE:''' ATI drivers for Windows Vista does not support OpenGL right now so Spring will not run on systems with Vista and ATI Cards.

'''NOTE:''' Use '''glxinfo''' on a Linux system. You don't need to download any third party application because most if not all systems with x11 should have that program already.
----

==Getting into a game==

===People talk about 'Single Player'. How do I start a single player game?===
Simply start a game in the lobby, and enter a password, so that nobody can join. Then click ready, and start and away you go !

Alternatively, you can get [http://spring.unknown-files.net/file/2012/Spring_Single_Player_Launcher_v0.8/ Spring Single Player], a handy tool that lets you create single player games without cluttering up the lobby, as well as watch replays easily.

===When I try to make a single player game, it gives me an error.===
Your graphics card probably can't support Spring. If you read the requirements it did say GeForce 3 or better. Go to the settings file in your Spring directory and lower some of the options. Sometimes that works.

===Does Spring support AI Players?===
Yes, see [[AI]] You can also use the [[random_enemies]] script, which spawns units out of thin air and sends them to attack you.

===How do I join an Internet multiplayer game?===
Run the "TA Spring multiplayer battleroom" from the Start menu or the TASClient.exe from your installation folder. In the "Server" tab change the server to "Official Host". Hit "Apply and close". Re-open the TA Spring client. Create an account on the "Account" tab.

===When I try to connect to the lobby it gives me an error.===
There could be 3 problems. Either you don't have an account, the server is down, or you have not configured your router/firewall correctly. If you don't have an account, make one. If the server is down, you'll just have to wait (this doesn't happen often, though). If you have a router/firewall read below. Have a look at this website's News page and/or the Messageboard, it is likely that you will get some information there in the eventuality that the server is down.

Also make sure that you don't have any spaces in your username.

===I have a router and I don't seem to be able to get a game===

If you are using a router you may have other problems. Explanations of [http://www.portforward.com/routers.htm how to forward ports] has instructions for every router.

===Where can I download more maps?===
As for most Spring downloads [http://spring.unknown-files.net Unknown Files] is the place to be! The [http://spring.unknown-files.net/category/13/Maps/ map category] has a nice overview.

===How do I install downloaded maps?===
Most maps are released as .sdz or .sd7 files. These can be put directly into the "maps" folder inside the Spring folder. If they are compressed into another type of archive you will have to unpack them first. Just unzip them into your spring maps folder. Some map files use newer (smaller) file formats such as .rar or .7z, to unzip these newer formats, you'll need to download 7-Zip [http://www.7-zip.org/ http://www.7-zip.org/] or Zip-genius [http://downloads.zipgenius.it/ http://downloads.zipgenius.it/]. They both handle almost all formats and are totally free. There is also now a map browser in the TASClient lobby software, click the more maps button in a battle screen to access it.

===Sometimes when I try to join games it gives me an error.===
The host is behind a firewall that has not opened the correct ports for Spring.

===When a multiplayer game starts I never make it past the loading screen.===
This indicates a problem with your video card. Once again the best way to deal with this situation is to make sure your video card has the latest driver updates and that all Spring video features are on the lowest settings.

===When a multiplayer game starts, I make it past the loading screen, but when I get into the game it says, "Waiting for Host", and does a 10 second countdown. It always reaches zero and boots me out, what gives?===
This is a firewall issue. There are three things you can do to fix this. First, make sure your windows firewall is either off, or is not blocking the TA: Spring application. Secondly, if you are behind a router, you can forward the ports that the host is using (especially if you are the host), and it usually fixes the problem. To do this you must go to your router configuration page. You can see what port 'you' are using (as the host), by hosting a multiplayer game in the Spring Lobby. You must make this your trigger port, and make sure that it is open for both TCP and UDP. Thirdly, if none of the aforementioned worked. The easiest thing to do (assuming you are behind a router) is to set the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone). This means your computer will be completely exposed to the internet, which will make you vulnerable to any unknown or unpatched exploits in windows. All you have to do is find the personal IP if the computer you are using and add it to your router's DMZ list. Please only try this last option if you can't get the others to work.
Good Luck

===I got into the game, but some people didn't.===
The host may have reached the number of players it has set.
Or the players may be experiencing firewall or video card difficulty. That is not your fault. Please ask them too leave if they are still there when you get into the 'game lobby'. Some people have problem connecting to "hole punching" hosts.

===I got into a game but my name is red, nobody can hear me speak, and eventually I get disconnected===
This is to do with how long it takes the game to start up (the "load time"). If it takes too long you will see this problem. The load time can be reduced by changing the game graphics settings to lower quality. In particular try setting texture quality to lowest.

===What do all those icons mean in the server list?===
Server status icons inform you, at a quick glance, what the server is doing at the moment, and what state it's in (password protected, locked, open, full, etc). Read all about the server status icons and what they mean [[Server Status|here]].

----

==Playing==

===What is with this weird right-click mode? I'm 'bout to break my keyboard.===
Sorry, you'll just have to get used to it. As of now it can't be changed.

===Why is somebody else also controlling my units?===
In the 'game lobby' there are two sets of teams. There are the 'Teams' and the 'Ally Teams'. If you are on the same 'Team', then you both get the same commander, and can control the same units. If you are on 'Ally Teams', then you both get different commanders and can't control each others units.

===Is there a way that I can play music directly through TA-Spring, with alternating tracks for building/attacking like in the original Total Annihilation?===
Currently there is no in-game music player. For now, you will have to rely on a seperate program to play music such as Winamp or Windows Media Player.

===Then why would I want to be on the same 'Team' as somebody?===
Because it's fun to just drive around units and not have to worry about commanding. (Assuming that one of the people on the team is commanding.)
Most importantly, however, you can split tasks, such as base building, and troops management.

===How do I talk to my allies only?===
You must type 'a:' before you speak. Here's an example: a: Now I am talking to my allies only. 

===Help! After I'm finished driving a unit, the camera is all insane! This is nuts! How do I fix it?===
Whoa now. Calm down. Just press ctrl + mouse button 3 to change camera modes. If your unit is destroyed in FPS mode, you will stay in FPS mode until you change camera modes. Also, the camera will stay in "free look" when FPS mode is disengaged, press middle-mouse or J to switch to normal scrolling.

===After I'm finished driving a unit, where what used to be my mouse pointer is now a crosshair. Why?===
-This is a special 'view mode' that allows you to move around the screen much faster. It's good for viewing the battle or getting screenshots. Simply press on your third mouse button or 'delete' to revert back to your mouse pointer.

===But I don't have a third mouse button!===
The key 'J' works in the same way as the 'middle mouse button' does. So where you would use ctrl + middle mouse button to change camera modes, ctrl + j does the same thing. Pressing J once will also switch you from 'crosshair mode' to 'pointer mode' and vice versa.

===IÃ‚Â´ve managed to get stuck in this weird camera mode and my perspective is all messed up. How do I switch to the overhead (OTA style) camera?===
Shift+Backspace (or Shift+J or Shift+MiddleMouseClick) switches between the fps style, total war style and OTA style cameras. Use it to get your camera back to normal in this situation.

===People are cheating! How do I stop it?!===
Well currently, you can't.

Only the host can "activate" the cheat codes. After that, any player can do almost all cheats.

The best thing to do is just not play with the cheaters anymore. But with new spring version cheats are disabled in multiplayer, so that paragraph is hopefully now irrelevant.

===Well how do you cheat?===

<table border="3" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0">

<tr><th>Cheat Command</th><th>Effect</th></tr>

<tr>
<td>'''.cheat'''</td><td>'''enable cheats - Cheats don't work in multiplayer until the host types this'''</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>.nocost</td><td>instabuild (doesn't work on things already under construction, only on new ones)</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>.setmaxspeed 50</td><td>Changes the maximum speed multiplier (default is 3.0)</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>.setminspeed 0</td><td>Changes the minimum speed multiplier (default is 0.3)</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>.spectator</td><td>Allows you to see the entire map... but you lose control of your units</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>.team 0, .team 1, etc.</td><td>Change player</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>.give ARMCOM, .give 10 CORKROG, etc.</td><td>Place 1 or specified number of specified unit. Valid units are the internal names of units as specified in the unit definition.</td>
</tr>

</table>
You can use auto-completion in the spring console if you don't remember the internal unit name. To do that type:
".give arm" and then press your '''TAB key'''
A list of all matching units will be shown.

===In Game Commands===
The following ''non-cheating'' commands are also available in game:

<table border="3" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0">

<tr>
<th>Command</th><th>Effect</th>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>.info</td><td>Shows you what colour each player is and their ping delay in the bottom left corner of the screen</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>.clock</td><td>Shows you the elapsed game time in minutes and seconds in the bottom left corner of the screen</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>.take</td><td>Pulls all allied units, that are owned by players who have lost connection to the server, to your team.</td>
</tr>

</table>

===How do I ally or unally in game?===
I'm pretty sure you can't. Yet.

===How do I give somebody units or metal or energy?===
Press the 'H' key. Then select the amount of metal and/or energy to share. Then select the receiving player and press OK.

When sharing units, you must first select the units to share, then press 'H' key. Tick share units checkbox and choose a receiving player.

===How do I continually give somebody metal and/or energy after a certain point (i.e. Original TA commands +setshare..., +shareall)?===
You'll notice that on your metal and energy bars (top of screen), there are two red bars. You have to put them wherever you want your metal and energy to be shared after.

===This game is different than TA, the units HP and damage are not the same===

There were several third party "balance" mods for the original TA game.

One of those mods were xTA, and was developed by the same clan (SY) that has brought life back to TA, making Spring.

This balance mod is what is bundled by default with the spring engine, and is the mod that was ready to play when spring was released.

Now are several mods available, install the mod of your choice.

[http://www.fileuniverse.com/?p=listing&ID=92 get mods here]

===XTA? OTA? AA? OMFGLAMO? WTF do those abbreviations mean?===
zwzsg maintains a handy dandy FAQ about TA, and the abbreviations that relate to Spring too, of course.
[http://www.tauniverse.com/forum/showthread.php?t=27309 click here]. See also the Spring [[Glossary]], which contains brief explanations for all non-standard words and phrases.

===Why am I destroyed so easily by long range assaults?===
This is a realistic feature of Spring. Units will automatically attack 'radar blips' (units that they can not actually see, but that are indicated on radar). However, the accuracy is very bad while shooting at radar blips until:
* Your unit kills a lot of units and gets experience
* You get a targeting facility.

===Can I kick people from my 'game lobby' or my game?===
First of all, you have to be the host to kick. Use the good old ".kick playernamehere" command. Works in-game too, use it wisely.

===When I'm 'driving' my commander, why can't I use my laser?===
The TA: Spring team will most likely add a way for you to use your commander's laser soon.

===I hate driving around with the 'arrow keys'. Is there any way I can use the 'W-A-S-D' controls (the controls most First Person Shooters use) anymore?===
Go into your Spring directory and edit the uikeys file. Keep in mind that 'S' is originally a 'hot-key' that will stop your units and that 'D' is a 'hot-key' for your commander's D-Gun. You might want to change those too.

===I turned the shadows feature on; I still don't see shadows. What gives?===
Your graphics card can't handle shadows, so Spring automatically turns them off.

===I can't go backwards when I am 'driving' a unit. Why not?===
Because TA units were never intended to go backwards. Sorry, but you just cant.

===I'm in an Unreal Tournament kind of mood. How do I strafe?===
You can only strafe in 'brawler type' ships, such as the brawler, rapier, and light gunships.

===How can I record and watch demos/replays?===
From version 0.62 onwards recordings of all the games you play are easily available for replay via the Replays button in the TASclient.

You can use the Speed up/Slow down game keys while watching the replay, along with other in-game commands like .team

From version 0.60b1 onwards, demos are automatically recorded in the "demos" folder, underneath your Spring folder (default is C:\Program Files\TASpring\demos), named for the date and map they were played on. If you play multiple games in the same day on the same map, the games will also be numbered to prevent them from overwriting each other.

From version 0.62 onwards, to view a demo from the Windows file manager you can just double click the file name.

===Sometimes when I play get "not sync" "delayed synch" errors===

Thats caused because of lag. One of the players in the game is having some lag issues. Ask him/her to free up its bandwidth for the game to use.

Alternatively you can use the pause key and wait till the connection gets more stable.

Lag is the seccond number showed when you use the .info command ingame, numbers bigger than 40 are not usual in a normal game and are a signal of lag.

----

==Content==

===Do Spring maps need a "ground"?===
Spring maps do require a ground. We have had many requests to have space maps, however, a "true" (ala Homeworld) space setting is not likely. It would have to wait until a much later stage. This does not mean that TA's style of "space" maps won't be possible, (see the Final Frontier TC for examples of this).

===You stated that Spring uses the TA unit format.===
Spring does use the Total Annihilation unit format. However, there is also a new format dubbed '.s3o' which uses a UV mapped texture instead of 3do's per face texturing system, as well as other improvements.

===How powerful will Spring's custom format be?===
Total Annihilation's unit format was extremely limited. Most of these limitations will either be expanded or non-existent in Spring's custom unit format. One of the most exciting improvements is the introduction of an entirely new method of scripting, with nearly complete control over every aspect of a unit's actions and behaviors.

===Does Spring have a limited number of weapons?===
No. Unlike Total Annihilation, Spring's weapon IDs will be unlimited. Meaning it will be possible to add as many third-party units as you want. However, the current model format limits 16 weapons to each unit.

===Does Spring have a limited number of unique units?===
No. Unit IDs, like weapon IDs, will be unlimited.

===Will units have a maximum of 3 unique weapons?===
Total Annihilation had a limitation that permitted a maximum of 3 unique weapons per unit. Spring currently has a way to have 16 weapons per unit. (Replace Primary, Secondary, Tertiary by 1 2 3 ...16). More can be made possible by modifying the source if there's a sufficient demand by mod makers.

===I'm curious as to the per-unit polygon limit.===
The engine itself does not have a polygon count limit. The limit is that of the processing power of today's computers. Since Spring requires a 3D card, the maximum polygon count per unit will be several times higher than Total Annihilation's. That means for your average mod, 300 polygons for common units and 700 for the more expensive ones is quite reasonable. (But don't waste polies unnecessarily!)

===Will units be able to perform basic terraforming?===
Total Annihilation units probably won't have any terrain editable functionality. Future units may be endowed with such functionality, but it's more of a gameplay issue and has not been decided upon yet. However construction units can restore ground, and certain weapons (especially explosive ones) can be used to deform the ground.

===Will tunnel building be possible?===
Subterranean areas of any sort is impossible. However, it is possible to heavily deform the ground with explosives.. Which is great fun!

===Will the ground's water retention be editable?===
No. Water will always collect when a piece of land has a height below sea level.

===Does Spring have a limit on the number of races?===
Spring has no limit on the total number of sides/races.

===What are the sizes of the biggest and smallest units?===
Static units (buildings, defenses, etc.) have no size limitations in the engine. Technically, neither do mobile units, but units with a footprint larger than 4x4 "squares" (an arbitrary size standard created by Cavedog) might have problems pathfinding.

===What is going to be the maximum possible sea depth?===
For all practical purposes, it will be unlimited. The depth values are stored as "float variables", so it is doubtful that maps would ever be made which even come close to approaching the limit.

===Will Spring support campaigns?===
Basic Map scripting has been implemented, using a Lua scripting engine. From that, it would be possible to make a basic campaign, but for ease of use a better way of selecting scripts and an improved Single player menu is needed.

See [[Mission development]] for more details.

===How big are the Spring files?===
Spring will be as small as however much content is included with it. The "essential" files are only be several megabytes large. Content (such as maps and units) will add considerable size to the Spring download. Currently, the file size is roughly 30 MB.

===How will Spring render sound effects?===
Sound is rendered 3D, meaning that the volume and direction (assuming a multi-speaker setup) vary with the location of the camera from the sound "emitter". What this translates into gameplay terms means that the closer you are to a unit making a sound or motion, the louder the sound will be. Additionally, the sound will be heard differently depending on which way the camera is facing relative to units making sound.

===Will Spring have ambient sound?===
There is no ambient sound, and we haven't planned on adding it thus far.

===Will there be an AI or a "skirmish" mode?===
We have created an interface for artificial intelligences (AIs), and several are currently under development. Information on these can be found at the [[AIs]] wiki page.

===Will a "possess" or a FPS option be present?===
Yes, it is possible to fully control a unit from the first person view. It is more of a gimmick, but it still allows for a nice diversion once in a while. Instructions on its use are in the [[Using_Spring#FPS_.22Mode.22_.28C.29|Using Spring]] article.

===How do I create maps?===
See the [[Map development]] page for all the map info.

===How do I create units/mods?===
See the [[Mod_and_Unit_development#Mod_devlopement|Mod and Unit development]] page on creating units/ mods.

[[Category:Content]]

User:Lord Wille

2006-08-16T14:35:03Z

Comp1337:

Title: Gaylord. [[Image:Original.jpg|thumb|200px|right|<center>Wille.</center>]] 
Aliases: Speedmetalnoob, Sweden. 
Skills: Pure Pwnage 
Born: 1989 
Lives: outside of gothenburg, sweden

User:Soul

2006-08-16T14:31:21Z

Comp1337:

<tt>Name: Soul "Acheron" Necromundi
Personal number: 890705
Residence: Near Gothemburg in Sweden
Public relations: Hostile</tt>

[[Image:Soul.JPG]]

User:Lord Wille

2006-08-16T11:34:33Z

Comp1337:

Title: Gaylord. [[Image:Original.jpg|thumb|200px|right|<center>Wille.</center>]]

File:Original.jpg

2006-08-16T11:31:52Z

Comp1337: Wille.

Wille.

User:CrazzyElk

2006-08-16T09:44:07Z

Comp1337:

File:Crazzyelk2.jpg

2006-08-16T09:35:14Z

Comp1337: Yes, this is the guy who has pwned your pants off so many times. Second pic.

Yes, this is the guy who has pwned your pants off so many times.
Second pic.

File:Crazzyelk.jpg

2006-08-16T09:34:25Z

Comp1337: Yes, this is the guy who has pwned your pants off so many times.

Yes, this is the guy who has pwned your pants off so many times.

User:Comp1337

2006-08-14T21:14:52Z

Comp1337:

[[Image:Uberleet.jpg|thumb|200px|right|<center>Me in all my sexiness.</center>]]
Generally known as these days: Uberleet 
Born: 1990 
Live: a bit outside Gothenburg 
Skillz: mad 
aka: Comp1337_se

User:Comp1337

2006-08-14T21:09:02Z

Comp1337:

[[Image:Uberleet.jpg|thumb|200px|right|<center>Me in all my sexiness.</center>]]
Born: 1990 
Live: a bit outside Gothenburg 
Skillz: mad 
aka: Comp1337_se

File:Uberleet.jpg

2006-08-14T18:40:03Z

Comp1337: Uberleet in his probably sexiest moment.

Uberleet in his probably sexiest moment.

Absolute Annihilation/Units

2006-04-16T21:32:21Z

Comp1337: /* Retaliator/Silencer */

Basic descriptions, hints, tactics, and tips for Absolute Annihilation units. Level 1 units are those that can be built by basic factories, Commanders, and level 1 construction units. Level 2 units are those that can be built by advanced factories and level 2 construction units. Level 3 units are those that are built by Experimental Gantries.

=Commander=

You only get one Commander when you start the game, so he's worth special mention. Builds a small selection of things, but has a powerful nanolathe, allowing him to build quickly and assist other construction units. Packs a fairly nasty laser and the D-Gun, a weapon that drains tremendous amounts of energy but does absurd damage. Has a radar and sonar, and can cloak to hide from enemy units. (Though if he's not in a jamming field, they'll see him on radar anyway) Causes an absolutely massive explosion when killed. Moves slowly, but can travel underwater and climb very steep hills. He can also capture enemy units, but this is tricky to pull off, as an alert enemy will usually self-destruct them before he can finish.

There are two main victory conditions in Spring - Commander Dies, Game Continues (Continues) and Commander Dies, Game Ends (Ends). In Continues games, keeping your Commander alive is nice but not vital. This often leads to the Commander being used very offensively in the late-game, and can also lead to assorted lame early-game Commander tactics. In Ends games, keeping the Commander alive in the late-game against the many things that can kill him in a handful of shots becomes very important. He often spends most of his time assisting construction in the back of your base, under heavy jamming and AA cover.

Your Commander provides an excellent defence against early-game assaults and rushes. Do ''not'', however, use your D-Gun unless your Commander's death is imminent or you are faced with a large, tightly-packed swarm of units. It eats up 400 energy a shot, which is a hefty chunk for a level 1 economy, and destroys any reclaimable wreckage. His laser should be more than enough against small groups of raiders, and his main function against larger groups should be to chase them away or into groups of proper combat units. Whatever you do, '''do not''' D-Gun your own structures or units unless it's that or lose the game.

=Factories=

Factories are what let you construct mobile units. We don't describe individual factories in detail, as most are fairly boring. Level 1 factories build Level 1 units and Level 1 construction units. Level 1 construction units build Level 1 structures and the Level 2 factory for their type. So a Level 1 Construction KBot can build a Level 2 KBot Lab, but can't build a Level 2 Vehicle Plant. Level 2 factories build Level 2 units and Level 2 ("Advanced") Construction Units. Level 2 Construction units build Level 2 structures and, in the case of Advanced Construction KBots, the Level 3 factory.

All factories can only be built on land, except for Shipyards, Amphibious Facilities, and Seaplane Pads, which must be built in water. Hovercraft factories can be built on water or land. Amphibious Facilities are odd in that they can construct amphibious units of a wide variety of types. All other factories can only construct units of the appropriate type.

=Resource Structures=

Resource structures produce resources - metal and energy - for you to use to build other things. Quite often, but not always, the winner of a game is whoever builds and successfully protects the most resource-generating structures.

==Common Level 1==

===Metal Extractor===

The basic metal-producing structure. These are fairly cheap, but require a little energy to operate, so your metal production will falter if you overtax your energy! They work a little differently from metal extractors in the original Total Annihilation. Each has a range, represented by the red circle around the extractor when you go to place it, over which they extract metal. The extractor's income is determined by the amount of metal within its range. On maps without well-defined metal patches, space out your extractors and avoid overlapping their ranges!

There is also an underwater version of this structure.

===Wind Generator===

A cheap, fast-building energy-producing structure. Wind generators can be built anywhere on the map, but their output varies randomly based on wind strength. They also need to be space out, as they explode fairly violently and don't have much health. Always be sure to check the wind strength before going into a game, so you know whether or not to build wind generators!

===Solar Generator===

More expensive than a wind generator, solars are also a lot tougher. They give you +20 energy. They close up into a more armored form when attacked. This protects your investment and lets them take a fair amount of punishment from raiders, but they don't produce any energy when closed.

===Tidal Generator===

Tidal generators provide cheap, constant power on water maps. The exact amount of energy a tidal generator provides varies from map to map, though they usually provide about as much as a Solar Generator. Always check the Tidal Generator income before starting a game on a water map.

===Metal Maker===

Metal Makers convert energy to metal, allowing you to continue expanding your economy even once all available metal has been claimed. Each Arm Metal Maker consumes 80e and produces 1m, and each Core Metal Maker consumes 90e and produces 1m. When building metal makers, always use the [[Metal Maker AI]].

There are also floating versions of this structure.

===Advanced Solar Generator===

The Advanced Solar Generator produces more energy than a regular Solar Generator, but has a correspondingly higher price tag. Only useful on maps with poor wind and no geothermal vents.

===Geothermal Powerplant===

These expensive energy-producing structures can only be built on geothermal vents, but are a very efficient way to expand your energy production once you've got a basic economy going. Be careful about when you choose to build them, though, as the geothermal vents on most maps are placed in vulnerable locations.

===Energy/Metal Storage===

As the name indicates, these structures provide you with additional energy and metal storage. Since level 2 resource structures in AA come with energy/metal storage (as appropriate), these aren't very useful. The energy storage can be handy for stockpiling energy for a push to level 2, but you're probably better off building Metal Makers to convert it to metal. The metal storage is virtually useless, as you should always be using up your metal as fast as you can without stalling, ''however'' if you're reclaiming alot of things, especially any commander wreckages laying about, you'll need these in order to make sure you receive all your metal.

==Arm Level 1==

===Twilight===

A basic metal extractor that can cloak for a mere ten energy. This provides some protection against raiders, but is not infallible. The enemy can still spot them if they get too close, and there are only so many places a metal extractor can be put. When they explode, they paralyze everything in a quite big radius, and can thus be used as mines or traps if nessesary. Watch out for this when killing them if the enemy has some units nearby, as paralyzed units are easy prey.

==Core Level 1==

===Exploiter===

A basic metal extractor with more armor and an LLT on top. Excellent for claiming territory once your basic economy's on solid ground or if your enemy likes raiding.

Has extra armor against attacks by Peewees/AKs and Flashes/Instigators.

==Common Level 2==

===Moho Mine===

A bigger, better metal extractor. Takes more energy to operate, but extracts more metal from the same ground. These are typically the first things you'll want to build when upgrading to a level 2 economy, as you should easily be able to afford them with a mature level 1 economy. Start with your biggest and best-protected metal patches, and work out from there.

There are also underwater versions of this structure.

===Fusion/Cloakable Fusion===

These structures provide a high, constant energy income. Like Solar and Wind generators, they can be built anywhere on the map. The Cloakable variant is identical, except that it can cloak (to make it harder for the enemy to find), is slightly more expensive, and produces slightly more energy. If you have no easily-defendable geothermal vents available, one of these (with accompanying flak cannons) should be next in your level 2 upgrade plan after you have a few Moho Mines online. A common newbie mistake is building a Fusion plant too early or building too many of them. Don't do this.

Fusions have an impressive explosion, so be sure to space them out.

There are also underwater versions of the regular Fusion plant.

===Moho Metal Maker===

A bigger, better metal maker. Takes much more energy to operate, but produces much more metal. On metal-poor maps (or once you've upgraded all your Metal Extractors to Moho Mines), you'll want to produce these to expand your economy, powered by Fusion plants.

There is also an underwater version of this structure.

===Metal Generator===

A slightly better metal maker that doesn't consume any energy. Fairly expensive and explodes quite violently, so space them out and protect them well.

===Moho Geothermal Powerplant===

A bigger, better geothermal plant. More efficient than a Fusion with comparable energy output, but produces a ''really'' big blast when destroyed. Build these only in safe areas or with ample defences against air and land units, as they make very tempting targets.

===Advanced Fusion Reactor===

A bigger, better fusion reactor. Only usually worthwhile if you're pressed for space or need energy really badly in the very late-game. Defend it very well, as it makes a very tempting target, and produces a very big explosion when destroyed. Can only be built by Advanced Construction Vehicles.

==Arm Level 2==

===Prude===

A bigger, better geothermal plant. Doesn't produce quite as much energy as the Moho Geothermal Powerplant, but is cheaper and explodes significantly less violently. A good choice if you have potentially-threatened geothermal vents, or geothermal vents near other vital infrastructure.

==Core Level 2==

===Exploiter===

A more heavily-armored Moho Mine with a built-in heavy laser and rocket battery. Looks just like a regular Moho Mine until the enemy comes calling, then deploys its weapons and armor and goes to town. These are a little expensive for general use, but great on or near the front lines.

===Behemoth===

A bigger, better geothermal plant with plasma cannons grafted on. Doesn't produce as much energy as the Prude and costs more, but can prove a nasty surprise for enemy assault forces and raiders, especially when near a couple Exploiters.

=Defensive Structures=

Defensive structures are buildings that help protect your base. Most have guns, or are designed to help buildings with guns. Most don't do anything else, and are fairly well-armored. However, don't expect them to win you the game alone! At best, defensive structures will stop minor attacks and slow down major attacks until you can get your own combat units into position to respond.

==Radar/Sonar/Jammer==

Though unarmed, the humble Radar Tower is possibly the most important defensive structure, and one that less experienced players can easily underestimate. It shows enemy units within range and unobstructed by terrain as radar dots. This means that instead of noticing your opponent is trying to attack the back of your base when the back of your base starts blowing up, you notice when a bunch of dots head that way. You can then move your mobile defensive units - and I hope you have some - to intercept the attack, and start beefing up your fortifications. Even more importantly, they let you watch the general pattern of enemy movement, giving you a rough idea of what your foe's up to and where he's massing units and defences, which can be invaluable when placing defences of your own or planning an attack.

Longer range units will fire at enemy units shown on radar before they can see them. The accuracy of a unit is reduced when firing at a target that's only visible as a radar dot, so these shots will often miss. Radar towers can see further than other units, so building them right next to other defensive structures may improve these structures' line of sight, allowing them to fire more accurately at units a little further away. Radar towers are cheap and fragile and often an early casualty of an enemy attack, so it doesn't hurt to build spares.

In the early game on spread out maps, consider building radar towers to 'protect' your expansion. Instead of trying to build defensive structures everywhere, build good radar tower coverage and position your mobile forces to easily intercept attacking forces.

Radar is not infallible. In addition to being blocked by terrain, it can be countered by radar jamming towers and units, which prevent radar detection of any units within their area of effect. There are also specialized late-game long-range weapons that quickly, cheaply, and efficiently destroy any radar or jammer towers within their area of effect. Finally, some units (such as the Arm Gremlin tank or Core Vamp fighter) are "Stealthy", and cannot be detected by radar.

Sonar Stations function similarly to Radar Towers, but can only detect units that are in the water.

There are advanced versions of all of these structures available with a higher cost, more HP, and a longer effective range. There are also floating radar towers that can be built on water.

==Dragon's Eye==

The Dragon's Eye, like the Radar Tower, provides you with advance warning of threats to your base. Dragon's Eyes have a long visual range, can be built underwater, and are stealthy (cannot be detected by radar) and can cloak (hiding themselves from visual detection) for a modest -10e cost. Building Dragon's Eyes around the perimeter of your base near the edge of the sight range of your other defensive structures can help them engage incoming enemies more effectively and gives you information about ''what'' is attacking your base.

==Dragon's Teeth/Fortification Walls==

These defensive structures aren't really structures. They do nothing but block the movement of enemy units, but are very cheap and fast to build. They can take a lot of damage, but can be reclaimed by construction units. Heavy units, like Bulldogs or Goliaths, can drive over Dragon's Teeth, destroying them in the process.

Floating Dragon's Teeth can also be built on water.

==Level 1==

===Light Laser Tower===

Very cheap defensive structure that you should build early and often. Will stop those pesky players who like to send small squads a minute or two in the game from doing damage to your economy that you may never recover from. This unit is good against light, fast ground forces, but is outranged by anything heavier. It is weak against air, but does hit sometimes. Often refered to abbreviated as LLT. They're good for covering mostly-blocked approaches to your base (like hills), as they can kill most light raiding forces.

===Defender/Pulveriser Missile Tower===

Very cheap defensive structure. It can provide protection against early air rushes. Does not need to be built as early as LLTs, as building an air force is slower. Will take out level 1 fighters and level 1 gunships easily. Effective against level 1 bombers, but several are needed if the opponent attacks in numbers. Not a cost-effective defence against level 2 air, and quite easy to destroy. ''Will not shoot at land units.'' Often abbreviated as MT.

There are also floating versions that can be built on water.

===Chainsaw/Eradicator Anti-bomber Turret===

Moderately expensive heavy-duty version of the missile towers. Fires a rapid stream of missiles. Quite tough to destroy and can take out large numbers of level 1 air units. Does ok against level 2 air units, but Flak cannons are a better option by this point as they're much more effective and not much more expensive. ''Will not shoot at land units.''

===Sentinel/Gaat Gun Heavy Laser Tower===

Moderately expensive defensive structure. Longer range and harder hitting than a LLT, can do serious damage to even level 2 attackers. Effective against land but not air. Can be outranged by longer-ranged level 2 ground units. Often abbreviated HLT. These are vital for protecting your expansions and base in the mid-game, as they can destroy massive swarms of L1 units. They require energy to fire, though, so be sure to have ample power available.

There are also floating versions that can be built on water.

===Guardian/Punisher Plasma Cannon===

Expensive plasma cannons. Quite a long range and pack a fair bit of punch. Many games begin with an expansion phase with players marking out territory. Once the territories start to clash in the middle, you can almost guarantee that one or both players will start building plasma cannons. These can then kill all the LLTs and HLTs in the opponent's front line. Once a cannon is completed it will start shelling any enemy forces that are within range. It can be set to "High Fire", which causes it to fire more damaging but highly inaccurate shells with a large area of effect in a high arc, or "Low Fire", which causes more direct, more accurate, but less powerful shells to be fired.

The normal reaction is then for the enemy to rush at the Guardian with all available nearby units. An inexperienced player may find he has not adequately protected his Guardian with LLTs, HLTs, or mobile forces, and will then lose a unit that cost a large amount of resources to build. More experienced players learn to build adequate protection or place their Guardian in an established position. This allows them to to devastate the enemy's fixed defences and kill many of the units sent to take out the Guardian, yielding a net metal gain. In some circumstances it may be better to retreat from the enemy's Guardian position and quickly tech to level 2 or build a small force of Thunders/Shadows for a definitive assault rather than losing units in a futile counter attack.

Another option is to construct a radar jammer near your front lines, which prevents the Guardian from auto-targetting them until something actually sees the units. This allows you to construct a Guardian of your own and return fire.

===Anenome/Jellyfish===

The Anenome/Jellyfish are the only land-based anti-submarine weapon in AA. They launch depth charges that can damage submarines and submersed amphibious units. As land structures, most submarines cannot attack them. Their very short range means that they have to be built on the very edge of your coast, and are not a good general-purpose anti-submarine solution.

===Harpoon/Urchin===

These floating torpedo launchers provide close-range anti-submarine/anti-ship defence. They can only be built in water, and can only attack units in the water. They're effective against raiders and submarines, but don't expect them to do much against a serious surface vessel assault, as even the humble plasma cannon on the Crusader/Enforcer outranges them by a significant margin. They are very effective against amphibious units, which move slowly and are unable to fire back.

Cannot attack Hovercraft.

==Level 2==

===Flakker/Cobra===

Late-game anti-aircraft defence, flak cannons are one of the two replacements for MTs. They're relatively short-ranged, but do a lot of damage, fire quickly, and have a massive area of effect. They're incredible against gunships, which tend to cluster, allowing the flak cannon to damage or destroy several with a single shot. Put these near vital late-game structures to prevent your enemy from swarming and destroying them with gunships. ''Flak cannons cannot attack ground units''.

There are also floating versions that can be built on water.

===Mercury/Screamer===

These upgraded MTs provide late-game anti-aircraft defence. Their guided missiles have a very long range - roughly half that of a VLRPC, do enough damage to kill almost any plane, and have an impressive blast radius. Very good against level 2 bombers and fighters. ''Cannot attack ground units.'' These units fire quite slowly, so should not be relied on as a primary anti air defence.

===Annihilator/Doomsday Machine===

The big brother of the HLT, these structures fill the same role in the late game. Their weapon, affectionately referred to as the "Blue Laser of Death", is slow-firing but capable of destroying most units in a single shot. They have an impressive range, but are still outranged by several kinds of artillery, so don't expect them to create an unbreakable defence!

Assaulting a line of BLoDs in the late game can be challenging, especially if they're properly supported by mobile units and anti-air. A good choice is to exploit their slow refire time and throw a swarm of fast, light, cheap units (like Flashes/Instigators, or even Jeffies/Weasels or Peewees/AKs) at them first, then hit them with longer-ranged units (Sharpshooters, Morties, Penetrators, Vanguards, Catapults, Tremors, etc.) while they're chewing on those. If the enemy's neglected to give his BLoDs proper AA support, gunships or bombers can be very effective. If all else fails, a barrage of Cruise Missiles will probably work.

===Ambusher/Toaster===

The big brother of the Guardian. They have a bit more range and a bit more firepower. When not in use they fold away into a concrete bunker. This allows them to survive much larger amounts of damage, making them virtually immune to long-range artillery.

===Moray/Lamprey===

Heavier versions of the Harpoon/Urchin. They do more damage and have a slightly longer range, but are still largely ineffective against surface vessels. These structures are totaly under water, and so can only be targetted by depth charges.

Cannot attack Hovercraft.

===Big Bertha/Intimidator===

These massive plasma cannons, often called Very Long-Range Plasma Cannons (VLRPCs) can deliver large amounts of firepower across a significant portion of even the largest maps. Their extreme range and destructive power are compensated for by their poor accuracy, low health, and high energy cost per shot.

At first these appear to be a game ending weapon. They are capable of attacking pretty much anywhere on many maps, and so could, in theory, destroy an entire base. In practice, these seem to take a long time to do significant damage. Many of the more critical structures, such as factories or Fusion Plants can survive fire from a VLRPC for long enough for a construction unit to repair the damage. Others can simply be rebuilt once the cannon's moved on to other targets.

Sustained fire from several of these cannons over a base acts as an effective siege mechanism. It makes it much harder to build, as anything under construction is quite vulnerable to being destroyed. Construction units are also quite vulnerable, and many can be taken out at once by a lucky hit. This can gradually tilt the balance of economic power in favour of a player with the VLRPC, even with the hefty cost of each shot.

Once one of these cannons starts to fire, there are several possible replies. An aggressive opponent will normally search for the VLRPC doing the damage, probably with scout aircraft. Observing the direction the shells are coming from will give a reasonable indication of where to look. If the cannon has been built without considerable protection, it will normally be attacked and destroyed. If it is heavily protected, the opponent may feel that they must attack anyway and lose a lot of units for nothing. Other options include building your own VRLPC (or better still half a dozen) scattered throughout your base to respond to your enemy's attacks. Some players may try building a [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/w/index.php?title=Absolute_Annihilation/Units#Deflector deflector] to nullify the effect of the VRLPC, but this can be prohibitively expensive, especially if you try to carpet your entire base. Building [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/w/index.php?title=Absolute_Annihilation/Units#Radar.2FSonar.2FJammer radar jammers] can be more useful, as these cannons won't fire at something they can't see. Even with a jammer up, a few cheap air scouts will usually reveal plenty of targets for these cannons to fire at, so they typically have to be backed up with a Mercury/Screamer or two and some smaller MTs near the edges of your base.

===Vulcan/Buzzsaw===

A rapid-fire VLRPC that's even less accurate than its single-shot cousins. Definitely an [[Uberweapon]]. Like the Krogoth and Orcone, there's no reason to build one of these in most games, unless all other porc-cracking options have failed. It drains energy like mad, but its high damage, absurd rate of fire, and insane scatter will destroy all but the most hardened bases. Give it a lot of support, as your opponent ''will'' be coming to kill it as soon as it opens fire on him.

===Protector/Fortitude===

The Protector/Fortitude are purely defensive structures. They have no offensive weapons, but can intercept any nuclear weapons whose trajectories cross their operating range, which is displayed as a circle on your radar, as long as they have ammo. A must in most games as soon as your level 2 economy is on a solid footing, even if just as a precaution against a last-ditch strike by your enemy. In a Commander Dies, Game Ends game, you ''will'' want to keep your Commander well inside the range of a Protector/Fortitude at all times.

You need to construct ammo stores for this weapon. This is done using the normal construction interface. Standard practice is to queue up at least 50 rounds while it's being built and then leave it. If you ever have to intercept more than 50 nuclear missiles, you're doing something wrong.

Be sure to give these good AA cover. Standard practice when launching a nuke strike is to send a mob of Phoenix/Hurricanes to kill the enemy's anti-nuke, then follow up with a nuke volley.

===Retaliator/Silencer===

The Retaliator/Silencer are more offensive weapons than defensive weapons. They can fire nuclear missiles (which much be constructed before launch) all the way across almost any map, each of which can destroy a substantial portion of an enemy base. Very few things can survive a nuke blast, though the missiles can be intercepted by Protectors/Fortitudes.

===Detonator/Catalyst===

These tactical nuke launchers are similar to the Retaliator/Silencer, but much shorter-ranged and do much less damage. Their projectiles cannot be intercepted, though, making them more practical. Like nukes and anti-nukes, the Detonator/Catalyst must build each shot before it can be used.

===Juno===

The Juno is a much more limited balistic missile launcher. Its missiles cannot be intercepted, but do no damage to normal units. They will, however, destroy all radar, sonar, or radar/sonar jammer units within their area of effect, and will also destroy Dragon's Eye cameras.

===Deflector===

The Deflector is one of the few proper counters to VLRPCs, other than extensive jamming and AA. It generates a field that deflects most weapons fire targetted in or through a small area, but costs energy per shot deflected. It can deflect plasma shells, gauss shells, and EMG fire, but cannot deflect lasers, missiles, flamethrowers, lightning shots, or bombs. The field affects all fire directed into it from outside, but ''will not'' affect any shots fired from inside the field. This means that your units can safely fire out, but also that the field will be ineffective if the enemy manages to get inside.

While it can provide protection against VLRPC and RFVLRPC fire, keep in mind that the shells still have to land ''somewhere''. And that "somewhere" will likely be on top of any structures you have near the edge of the field. And if you run out of energy they stop working; a large volume of weapon fire can overwhelm your energy sources and and then get through.

VLRPCs cannot be safely placed close to a Deflector. They're tall enough that the deflector will actually catch and deflect the shot as it leaves the barrel, making the VLRPC even more incredibly inaccurate than usual. Deflectors are best used for protecting defensive structures whose weapons are unaffected by it (like lasers, missile towers, or flak cannons), resource-generating structures, factories, or your Commander.

===Pitbull/Viper===

Shorter-ranged pop-up weapons, the Arm Pitbull fires a line-of-sight gauss projectile and the Core Viper fires heavy rockets. These structures fill about the same role as an LLT in the late-game and can, if you have the resources, make good support for a BLoD or act as replacements for destroyed HLTs.

=Utility Structures=

They don't, strictly speaking, help you kill your enemy, make more units to kill your enemy, or prevent your enemy from killing your base, but these structures can be important all the same.

==Targeting Facility==

This Level 2 structure makes your fire against targets that can be seen only on radar substantially more accurate. It's fairly costly and takes a reasonably hefty chunk of energy to operate, but can be very useful for bombarding your enemy's defences from outside of their effective range.

There is also a floating version of this structure, which is very useful for naval battles, as engagements between surface ships will often happen without either side ever seeing the other.

==Air Repair Pad==

This Level 2 structure makes maintaining a large fleet of aircraft much easier. When switched on, it consumes a small amount of energy (250), and aircraft with "patrol" or "attack" orders will, when they're down to a certain health percentage, seek out an open air repair pad, land there, get repaired, and then return to carrying out their orders. The health percentage can be configured in the unit's orders panel.

=KBots=

KBots are units that use legs to move. They're generally more lightly armed than vehicles and can take less damage, but are cheaper, build faster, and can cross rough terrain and climb hills much better. KBots are generally good for massed assaults or surprise attacks over difficult terrain. The exception is "Level 3" KBots, which have incredibly powerful weapons and can take absurd amounts of damage.

==Common lvl 1==

For many lvl1 units, there's no significant difference between the Arm and Core versions. These units get listed here.

===Peewee/AK===

Small cheap infantry KBot. The die very quickly to any significant opposition, but are speedy and can see farther than other L1 KBots. Can be used for scouting, [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/wiki/Swarming swarming] and as cannon fodder mixed with more valuable units. Good for early attacks on an enemy base, but they become obsolete very quickly.

===Rocko/Storm===

Slighly more expensive KBot with a long-range rocket launcher. Together with Hammers/Thuds, Rockos/Storms will tend to form the backbone of an early KBot force. Their rockets are direct-fire, so they can't fire over other units. Position them carefully, as they will occasionally try, damaging your units in the process! (Using a line-movement command works very nicely for them) Their long range lets them get off at least a couple shots at most L1 defensive structures. They outrange LLTs, but cannot fire at them effectively without spotters.

===Hammer/Thud===

The Hammer and Thud fire small plasma shells, which lets them fire over other units and small terrain obstructions. This means that most units in a mass can fire, whereas for many other units only the front line can fire. They can also fire over wreckage, Dragon's Teeth, and other obstructions. Hammers and Thuds are best used as early heavy main battle units.

===Jethro/Crasher===

Fires guided missiles and can only attack air units. Basic level 1 mobile anti-air. Pretty much a walking missile tower.

==Arm lvl 1==

===Warrior===

Costs a fair bit more than any other level kbot and is very slow. Has a lot of health and two fast-firing lasers. The Warrior is the Arm's L1 anti-swarm unit, and does more damage to (and takes less damage from) L1 swarm units.

===Flea===

Super cheap. Very fast. And dies if you yell at it. Possibly try building a few of them first on large maps and sending a few towards your opponents. Their speed and cheapness may catch them off guard if you are lucky.

==Core lvl 1==

The Core has no unique Level 1 Kbots.

==Common Lvl 2==

===Decoy Commander===

Useless in Commander Dies, Game Continues games. In Commander Dies, Game Ends games, these units are very handy. They can be used to lure the enemy into making futile or ill-concieved attacks in hope of killing your Commander and wiping out your army. Does absolutely nothing else, but has a number of features to make it a more convincing decoy.

===Rector/Necro===

The stealthy Rector and Necro can bring other units back to life, provided their wreckage hasn't taken too much damage. While this is costly, it can allow you to recover from a well-executed attack by pressing the remains of the enemy's attack force into your service to suppliment your own army.

===Invader/Roach===

The humble Invader and Roach have no purpose in life beyond crawling towards the enemy extremely slowly and exploding extremely violently. These units can climb very steep hills and are amphibious, allowing them to pop up from unexpected directions. They die very easily, but if you can slip them past the enemy's defenses, they'll do a lot of damage to his economy. Their explosions are significantly more destructive if you self-destruct them.

===Infiltrator/Parasite===

A stealthy, cloakable KBot, the Infiltrator and Parasite are totally unarmed. They're good for finding out what your enemy's up to. They have the ability to create a medium sized paralysing explosion when they self destruct, making them usefull for getting past an enemy's defences.

==Arm lvl 2==

===Fido===

A very average level 2 KBot. Average cost, range, armour, speed, and firepower. Versatile but not particularly good at any one thing. Not worth building in large numbers. It may be worth having a few to support other KBots.

===Zipper===

Fast [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/wiki/Swarming swarm] unit with a short range direct fire weapon. Masses of these can survive surprising amounts of fire to do damage to undefended areas of a base. Seem to be able to push level 1 units out of the way, and are also very good at finding their way through wreckage fields due to their small size.

===Maverick===

Moderately expensive Kbot packing two gauss guns with medium range. Not particularly durable or fast, but if you can get it in range of a target it should do quite a lot of damage. Best against L1 units, which it destroys with ease.

===Zeus===

Slow and tough. It has a short-ranged but powerful lightning cannon. In numbers they can take and dish out a lot of damage, and are excellent defence-busters in the mid-to-late game.

===FatBoy===

Slower and tougher than the Zeus, the Fatboy carries a massive plasma cannon with a long range, high damage, and large area of effect. Very good at supporting swarms of Zeuses, but watch what they're shooting at to make sure they don't blow up your own units.

===Pelican===

This unique amphibious KBot travels quickly over the surface of the water. It packs a direct-fire laser for use against ground units and a homing missile launcher for use against aircraft.

===Eraser===

A mobile radar jammer. Useful for keeping the enemy from noticing an attack force until it's too late.

===FARK===

The Fast Assist Repair KBot can't build much, but is cheap and has a good nanolathe. This makes swarms of FARKs excellent assistants for primary construction units. FARKs are also fairly small and fast, which makes them better at supporting combat units than regular construction units.

===Sharpshooter===

One of the nastiest Arm Lvl2 Kbots, the Sharpshooter is stealthy ''and'' can cloak, making it very hard to spot when it's not firing. Even when firing, it can be tough to find, as its weapon is invisible, but has a very distinctive noise. Its weapon is very slow-firing and long-range, and does absurd amounts of damage. It does even more absurd damage to Krogoths, Orcones, and Juggarnauts, making swarms of Sharpshooters an excellent counter against Uberweapons.

===Recluse===

A spider KBot that can climb up almost anything. Can cause nightmares for unprepared opponenets who don't think land units will be able to cross a steep terrain barrier, and as a result don't build any suitable defence in that direction. It fires heavy rockets that aren't particularly fast or accurate. If you assemble a swarm in your own base, you better put them on hold fire or hope your opponent doesn't attack with air, as their rockets will fire up at the enemy planes, miss and land somewhere within your base....

Sometimes you can climb these halfway up a steep slope near some enemy units and stop. The defenders units won't be able to shoot you because they would have to do so through the rock, but you can lob rockets up and over.

===Spider===

Another spider KBot, similar to the Recluse but smaller, faster, and armed with a paralysing weapon. Can be a nightmare even when not using it's wall-climbing ability to attack a base from an undefended angle, as it can prevent your units from effectively fighting the things that are killing them.

==Core lvl 2==

===Pyro===

Core's level 2 [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/wiki/Swarming swarm] unit. A bit tougher and slower than the Zipper. Packs a flamethrower that can dish out a lot of damage to multiple units if you get within its short range. Doesn't leave wreckage, making it an excellent raider.

===The Can===

Silly looking KBot that waddles along fairly slowly, but don't laugh if they are coming to get you. Fairly expensive and very tough. Packs a pretty fierce punch with its laser weapon, but does not have a big range. Enemy units can sometimes retreat, fire, and then continue retreating, staying out of The Can's range the entire time. They'd better hope they kill it before they run out of room to retreat, though!

===Sumo===

Take The Can and make it much tougher and slower. Similar weapon range and power. Doesn't look quite as silly. Can be used as an extremely slow but hard-to-stop offensive weapon, or as a mobile HLT in your base.

===Morty===

A support KBot with a very big gun. Has a long range, but doesn't do a lot of damage and isn't particularly durable. Keep them behind a line of Cans, Sumos, and Pyros, and use them to bombard enemy defences.

===Gimp===

A faster, weaker, amphibious version of the Can. Packs a slightly weaker version of the Can's lasers and a torpedo launcher. The torpedos are extremely weak against submarines, though, so don't try using this as a general-purpose underwater combat unit!

===Freaker===

A fast-moving construction unit, the Freaker has a very eclectic build menu. It can construct mines, static defenses, and some combat units. Using them to construct Cans near the front lines to reinforce your assault force can be very effective!

===Dominator===

Another artillery support KBot, the Dominator fires vertical-launch rockets. These are shorter-ranged and less accurate than the Morty's shells, but are much more powerful and can fire over practically anything. Protected by a wall of Cans and Sumos, Dominators are wonderful at destroying structures of all kinds. Just don't try using them on mobile units!

===Voyeur===

A walking radar tower.

===Termite===

This KBot can climb over practically anything. It's fairly tough and packs a heavy laser. Great for surprise attacks against an unprotected flank of the enemy base, but don't expect them to last long on the front lines.

===Skuttle===

A bigger, badder version of the Roach. Not only does it make a bigger bang, it can cloak and climb absolutely anything.

==Common lvl 3==

===Avatar/Mauler===

A mobile Big Bertha/Intimidator. Slow and dies pretty much as soon as the enemy looks at it, but can devastate enemy positions from unexpected directions.

==Arm lvl 3==

===Orcone===

An [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/wiki/Uberweapon Uberweapon]. Costs absurd amounts of resources. Slow, but will destroy pretty much anything in its path. Very vulnerable to Sharpshooters, Annihilators/Doomsday Machines, and VLRPCs. Not generally worth investing in unless facing an enemy who's porcing heavily, and even then they need a lot of support from conventional units. If you see one coming, don't panic, start building Sumos or Sharpshooters and stick them (cloaked, in the case of Sharpshooters) in its path.

===Bantha===

Heavy attack mech. Shoots guided rockets, blue lasers, and plasma projectiles. Very hard to kill. Basically a mini-Orcone at a much more practical cost. It can be vulnerable to heavy attack from the air, and also dies to many of the same counters as the Orcone. Don't use these without a lot of support units backing them up!

===Razorback===

A light assault mech. Employs short-ranged but rapid-fire lasers and a multi-hit blaster. Faster than the Bantha or Orcone, much cheaper, and easier to fit into a regular assault force. Support them well, as they're very weak against Gunships, and can be taken out by sufficiently large groups of L2 units.

===Marauder===

A heavy amphibious assault unit. Fairly fast, and can be very deadly if your enemy hasn't protected his shoreline properly.

===Vanguard===

A slow but tough unit with a powerful long-range gun. Good as support for a mixed force of Razorbacks and L2 units. Can climb near-vertical walls to attack from unexpected directions and byspass enemy defences.

===Requiter===

A mobile tactical nuke launcher. Its missiles cannot be intercepted by anti-nukes, but do significantly less damage than regular nukes. Slow and dies very easily.

==Core lvl 3==

===Krogoth===

An [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/wiki/Uberweapon Uberweapon]. Costs absurd amounts of resources. Slightly more powerful and tougher than the Orcone, but otherwise identical.

===Krogtaar===

A miniature Krogoth. Significantly cheaper, faster, and easier to kill. Fires a riot cannon with a medium range and high damage, making it very good against swarms of level 1 units. Much more practical than the Krogoth.

===Karganeth===

The smallest and cheapest of the Core lvl3 mechs, and thus the most practical. The Karganeth packs rapid-fire homing missiles, making it effective against both land and air targets. This also means it fits very well into a mixed assault force. It also has the ability to climb nearly vertical cliffs, allowing it to bypass an enemy's defences.

===Shiva===

The Core amphibious lvl3 mech, the Shiva is an impressive unit. It carries plasma cannons and a pair of vertical-launch rocket launchers. While vulernable in the water, if one reaches your shore, you're in trouble. Only worth building on maps with sparse but restrictive water.

===Juggernaut===

Slower and weaker than a Krogoth, but about a quarter the cost. Carries a fast-firing multiple-hit gauss cannon with fairly good damage. Most useful as a mobile turret in your base. Don't try going on the offensive with one of these unless your opponent's been neglecting his fixed defences!

===Catapult===

This Core Lvl3 mech can unleash a massive, near-continuous stream of powerful, unguided, long-range rockets. It can't take much fire, though.

=Vehicles=

Vehicles use wheels or tracks to move. They're heavily armed and can take a lot of damage, but are more expensive and slower to build than KBots. They are also slowed or stopped entirely by rough terrain and can't climb hills very well. Vehicles are good for frontal assaults and generally smashing through defences.

==Common Lvl 1==

These vehicles are effectively identical for both races, and so are described only once.

===Jeffy/Weasel===

Cheap, fast units with a long line-of-sight. While they are armed, their weapon can't do much damage, and they have almost no HP. They're decent for scouting (you know you've found an enemy when they explode) and good for raiding your enemy's resource structures in the early game.

===Flash/Instigator===

The tank equivallent of the Peewee/AK. Flashes and Instigators have slightly more health and can't see as far, but are otherwise very similar to their KBot cousins. Flashes are currently ludicrously cost-effective, and remain useful throughout the game because of this.

===Stumpy/Raider===

The tank equivallent of the Hammer/Thud. Stumpies and Raiders are very tough for L1 units, and are very good at killing LLTs and even HLTs. Sometimes they can even survive long enough to do decent damage to larger defensive structures.

===Samson/Slasher===

The tank equivallent of the Jethro/Crasher. These units ''can'' attack ground units, but are much more effective against aircraft. They're very slow, though, making them hard to use effectively.

===Pincer/Garpike===

This otherwise-unremarkable L1 tank can travel underwater, allowing it to cross rivers and small lakes to attack the enemy from an unexpected direction. Don't expect it to survive crossing larger bodies of water, though, as it dies fast to submarines and torpedo launchers.

===Shellshocker/Wolverine===

The only true L1 artillery unit, the Shellshocker and Wolverine fire a projectile that has a very high trajectory and long range but extremely poor accuracy. Useful for taking out fixed defences, but keep them well away from your combat units or set them to hold fire, as their shots will often hit friendly units in the middle of a skirmish.

===Podger/Spoiler===

This unit both lays and clears mines. Although powerful, mines require fairly hefty amounts of energy to stay cloaked. If you can spare the power, they're very good at blocking up chokepoints and slowing down attackers. Most players don't bother.

==Arm Lvl 1==

===Janus===

This tank packs a slow-firing but very powerful pair of heavy rocket launchers. Its rockets can't always fire over other units (and will do serious damage to them if they get in the way) but have a good range. Very good against most forms of static defence, as long as there are other units to soak up the damage.

==Core Lvl 1==

===Leveler===

The Core's answer to swarm attacks by Flashes is the Leveler. The tank itself is slow, and its weapon is short-ranged, but it packs a ''massive'' punch and has a huge area of effect. Not only that, but it'll send enemy units flying and create craters, severely hampering the enemy's mobility.

==Common Lvl 2==

===Scarab/Hedgehog===

A mobile anti-nuke. Useful for protecting a force of ground units dispatched to assault a nuclear missile silo, or for covering an expansion until you can get a proper anti-nuke built there.

===Phalanx/Copperhead===

A mobile flak cannon. Excellent anti-aircraft coverage for your level 2 attack force. In fact, the ''only'' dedicated level 2 anti-aircraft unit. Maneuver them carefully, as they're fairly fragile. You want to keep them close enough to cover your forces, but far enough back that enemy ground units can't easily target them.

===Luger/Pillager===

A mobile artillery plasma cannon. Like the Shellshocker/Wolverine, fires its shells in a high arc, allowing them to travel over most things. Has less range and does less damage per shot than the Merl/Diplomat, but fires significantly faster. Decent support for a unit of tanks or Merls/Diplomats.

===Merl/Diplomat===

A mobile artillery missile launcher. The Merl/Diplomat fire their long-range, high-damage missiles vertically, which allows them to fire over practically anything. This also means their missiles take a long time to reach their targets, making them useless against mobile units. Set these things to Hold Fire, if your enemy has mobile units (especially aircraft) around, or you ''will'' destroy your own mobile units.

==Arm Lvl 2==

===Bulldog===

The basic, vanilla Arm level 2 tank. Heavily armored, fairly speedy, and equipped with a medium-range, medium-damage plasma cannon that can fire over other units. Bulldogs can drive over level 1 unit wreckage and Dragon's Teeth, which makes them good at breaking through heavily contested or fortified areas.

===Triton===

A light, amphibious level 2 tank. Faster than the Bulldog, but has less health and a smaller gun. Useful as a spearhead for amphibious assaults, to soak up fire and clear out defenders before heavier units come in.

===Panther===

A fast, light level 2 tank. Armed with a lightning cannon similar to the Zeus' (for use against ground units) and a homing missile launcher (for use against aircraft). Its main advantage is its speed, which allows it to spot for heavier tanks and close with defensive structures to use its cannon. Dies very easily, so support them with bigger tanks.

===Penetrator===

A mobile Blue Laser of Death. Slow and not too tough, but can do a lot of damage. Excellent support for a force of Bulldogs, Demolishers, and Panthers. Its turret can only turn through a small firing arc, so it's easily destroyed by light, fast units. Keep them far back and well-covered.

===Seer===

Radar on wheels.

===Gremlin===

A stealthy, fast, cloakable (?) light tank. It can't take much damage, and has a short-range, low-damage cannon, but is excellent at raiding. If you can find a hole in your enemy's lines and slip a few of these through, you can often do a lot of damage before he can stop them.

===Consul===

The Arm mobile engineer. Can build mines, a nice selection of defensive structures, and a few mobile units, including the Fido. This may be one of the few actual uses for the Fido: front-line reinforcements from a Consul.

===Demolisher===

A heavy tank with a medium-range, high-damage lightning cannon. Very tough and very slow. Best used mixed with other tanks, such as Bulldogs, Panthers, and Penetrators. Like the Bulldog, it can roll over wreckage and Dragon's Teeth.

==Core Lvl 2==

===Deleter===

A mobile radar jammer.

===Goliath===

A very tough, very slow-moving tank with a big, indirect-fire, long-range gun with a hefty blast radius. The Goliath is the Core's primary level 2 tank, and while expensive, a force of them can do very impressive damage and can be very difficult to stop. It can roll over most wreckage and Dragon's Teeth.

===Poison Arrow===

A heavy amphibious tank. Less well-armored than the Goliath but faster. Has a long-ranged, powerful, indirect-fire cannon. Only really useful on maps with small bodies of water as, like most amphibious vehicles, subs do a number on it.

===Reaper===

A tough, fast tank with a flamethrower. Best used as a screening force for Goliaths, as it can handle light, fast units very well. If you can't afford Goliaths, Reapers can make an acceptable assault unit, but are limited by their lack of range. Their damage more than makes up for it, especially if you can set a forest on fire with enemy units in it!

===Croc===

A medium amphibious tank, very similar to the Triton. The usual limitations of amphibious units apply.

===Intruder===

A heavy amphibious transport, the Intruder's very useful for moving around assault forces. It's quite quick, and can be used to ferry heavy but slow units (like the Can or Sumo) to the front lines, or to bring up additional units to support an amphibious assault.

===Banisher===

A reasonably fast, reasonably tough tank packing a heavy missile launcher. Note that, unlike most other level 2 tank weapons, its rockets ''cannot'' fire over other units. While they can do a lot of damage, this means that you'd better make sure none of your units are in the line of fire.

===Tremor===

Absolutely terrifying mobile artillery. Quite tough, not too sluggish, and packs a rapid-fire indirect-fire cannon. (Basically a mini-Buzzsaw) Individual shots aren't particularly strong and it has about the same range as the Diplomat, but fires faster any other artillery unit.

=Aircraft=

Aircraft are airborne combat units. They're fast, heavily armed, can cross any terrain, but can take very little damage. Most aircraft are very specialized, and only good at one or two very specific things. Against units not built specifically to counter them, aircraft are very effective. Against anti-air units, they're practically useless.

All aircraft have a limited-range sonar, allowing them to see submerged units immediately under them.

==Common Lvl 1==

===Peeper/Fink===

A light recon aircraft. Unarmed and can't take much damage, but very fast, cheap, and nimble, with a long line of sight and a radar. They're best used as scouts, to spot targets for long-range artillery or attack forces.

===Freedom Fighter/Avenger===

A basic fighter aircraft. Fast and maneuverable, but can't take much damage. Carries a homing air-to-air missile and a weaker air-to-ground missile. Do not use these to attack ground units, it's a waste of resources. Mostly good against other level 1 aircraft, though they can work against level 2 gunships.

===Thunder/Shadow===

A basic bomber aircraft. Slower and clumsier than the level 1 fighters, but much tougher. Attacks using a line of high-damage bombs, allowing it to damage or destroy several defensive structures in a single pass, or do more damage to larger structures. Not much use against mobile units, which can generally move out of the way before the bombs hit, but can do acceptable damage against packs of units.

===Atlas/Valkyrie===

A basic airborne transport. Can only carry one unit, but does so very quickly. Can't take a lot of damage, and accelerates slowly, but invaluable when you need to move a unit up a cliff or over some water in a hurry. Their low volume and vulnerability to AA fire makes them poorly-suited for assault roles.

One common use for these units is kidnapping enemy construction units or Commanders. (Though the Commander's laser can often destroy them before they can grab him) This means it's a good idea to build one or two missile towers to cover your construction units as soon as you can spare the resources. Even a single missile tower will be able to do enough damage to destroy would-be kidnappers.

==Arm Lvl 1==

===Banshee===

A basic ground attack aircraft. Slow but tough, and carries a weak, short-ranged EMG for use against ground units. While it doesn't do a lot of damaged, an early Banshee assault can cripple an enemy who's neglected to build even a handful of missile towers. It can hover, allowing it to attack slow-moving or stationary ground units very effectively but making it very vulnerable to flak.

==Core Lvl 1==

===Bladewing===

A basic gunship. Fast, but not very tough. Carries a laser that paralyzes its target. Best used in swarms to support other combat units in the field, by paralyzing serious threats. It can hover, allowing it to attack slow-moving or stationary ground units very effectively but making it very vulnerable to flak.

==Common Lvl 2==

===Brawler/Rapier===

Tough but slow ground attack aircraft. The Brawler carries an rapid-fire weak weapon, while the Rapier has slower-firing but more powerful rockets. Both can hover, allowing them to attack slow-moving or stationary ground units effectively, but making them very vulnerable to flak.

===Phoenix/Hurricane===

A bigger, nastier bomber aircraft. Drops many more bombs that do much more damage. Unless heavy AA is present along their approach a swarm of bombers ''will'' release enough ordinance in a single pass to destroy their target. This makes them very effective first-strike weapons against things like Annihilators/Doomsday Machines, nuclear missile silos, VLRPCs, fusion plants, etc. Also carries a homing missile launcher to fend off fighters.

===Lancet/Titan===

A bomber-type aircraft that fires homing torpedoes instead of normal bombs. Virtually useless against land units, very effective against ships.

===Hawk/Vamp===

A bigger, nastier fighter aircraft. The Hawk is slightly tougher and turns faster, and the Vamp is slightly faster. Both are stealthy, and are very good against enemy bombers and level 1 fighters. Not so good offensively, though, as they suck at ground attack.

===Eagle/Vulture===

A more sophisticated recon plane. Has a longer radar range and carries a real sonar.

===Blade/Blackdawn===

A gunship with even more armor and an even bigger weapon. These usually aren't cost-effective. It's better to build larger swarms of Brawlers/Rapiers.

==Arm Lvl 2==

===Liche===

A very powerful bomber. Drops only a single bomb, but it has a large blast radius and does a lot of damage. Very vulnerable to anti-air fire, so give it lots of cover. Excellent for taking out big, expensive targets.

===Dragonfly===

A stealthy version of the Atlas. Tougher, and armed with a paralysing weapon. It is able to transport heavier units than the level 1 transports.

===Stilleto===

A stealthy bomber whose weapon paralyzes targets caught in the blast. Good for softening up a defence line or assault force with insufficient AA.

==Core Lvl 2==

===Seahook===

A heavy but slow air transport that can lift absolutely anything. Yes, even a Krogoth. Just hope that your enemy's fighter squadrons don't catch this thing in mid-air when it's lugging Kroggy around, though!

===Krow===

Death on wings. A very tough, very slow gunship-type craft with three heavy lasers.

=Ships and Submarines=

Ships can only travel on water. They're fast, heavily armed, and can take absurd amounts of damage, but have very limited movement and turn slowly. Submarines travel under the water, can only be detected by sonar, and can only attack other units in or under the water. They're generally much weaker than surface vessels and have shorter-ranged weapons.

==Common Lvl 1==

===Skeeter/Searcher===

The naval equivallent of the Peewee/AK. Fast, but not very tough (as ships go). Carries a laser, for use against ground units, and a homing missile launcher, for use on aircraft. They're best used for raiding, but will die easily to most real combat ships.

===Decade/Supporter===

These light corvettes are intended as a screening force for larger ships. They're slow, have little health, and carry pair of short-ranged, weak cannons, but they're very cheap.

===Crusader/Enforcer===

The meat of a level 1 navy (and good support for a level 2 navy), these destroyers are very flexible ships. They're fast, tough, and useful in a variety of roles. They carry a medium-range indirect fire plasma cannon for use against surface ships and shore targets, a deck laser for use against anything that gets close, and a depth-charge launcher for use on submarines. They also have a short-range sonar.

===Lurker/Snake===

A basic submarine, the Lurker/Snake remains useful throughout the game. While slow and with little health, it has a long-range sonar and packs a powerful torpedo launcher that only works on units in the water. These units can devastate surface or amphibious forces that lack proper anti-submarine support.

===Hulk/Envy===

A basic transport unit, the Hulk/Envy can quickly deliver a mass of units to the enemy's shore. They're very tough, but also very slow.

==Common Lvl 2==

===Abel/Caine===

A medium-range bombardment ship, the Abel/Caine packs a rapid-fire, long-range, inaccurate plasma cannon intended for shelling land targets. They also carry a battery of veticaly launched missiles.

===Archer/Shredder===

Carrying both anti-aircraft missile launchers and flak cannon, even a few of these ships can very effectively protect a fleet of ships from airborne attackers.

===Millennium/Warlord===

Expensive, tough, and slow (for a ship), forces of Millenniums and Warlords will be the centrepieces of mid-to-late-game fleets. The Millennium has two turreted plasma batteries, with a high rate of fire, damage, and range. The Warlord replaces one plasma battery with a shorter-ranged and weaker but much more accurate heavy laser. These ships are fairly expensive, and very weak against submarines and aircraft, so don't build one unless you can defend it!

===Colossus/Hive===

A floating air repair pad, anti-nuke, radar, sonar, and miniature fusion reactor. Totally unarmed, so protect them well!

===Atlantis/Zulu===

A floating Big Bertha/Intimidator. The Zulu has a pair of VLRPCs, while the Atlantis drops one in exchange for an anti-aircraft missile launcher and lower price tag.

===Conqueror/Executioner===

The Conqueror and Executioner are significantly weaker than the Millennium or Warlord, but faster and cheaper. The Conqueror's main weapon is a long-range plasma cannon turret, while the Executioner carries a shorter-range but more accurate heavy laser. Both back up their primary weapons with a short-range deck laser, sonar, and depth-charge launcher.

===Valiant/Limiter===

A mine-layer submarine. Subject to the same limitations as the Podger/Spoiler.

===Ranger/Messenger===

A seaborne version of the Merl/Diplomat, with correspondingly increased range and damage. Useful for attacking enemy structures or stationary ships. Also sports a radar and anti-air missile launcher.

===Grim Reaper/Death Cavalry===

A resurrection submarine, capable of resurrecting dead units if their wreckage hasn't been reclaimed or taken too much damage.

===Escort/Phantom===

Radar jamming ships. Useful if your opponent doesn't have sonar, or in combination with a sonar-jamming unit.

===Pirannah/Shark===

Submarines designed for fighting other submarines. Weaker but much faster than the Lurker/Snake, their torpedoes home, are longer-range, and do significantly more damage - enough to destroy a Lurker/Snake in a single hit.

===Epoch/Black Hydra===

Basically a floating Krogoth/Orcone. Useful in the same circumstances. Well-protected against air and surface units, weak against submarines.

===Serpent/Leviathan===

Heavy submarines, with more health than the lighter submarines and much bigger weapons. Both have homing torpedoes. The Leviathan has slightly more range and damage, while the Serpent fires faster.

===Viking/Cronus===

Short-range artillery ships, with weak, inaccurate, rapid-fire plasma cannons. Intended for cheap bombardment of shore targets and floating structures.

==Arm Lvl 2==

===Fibber===

A sonar-jamming submarine.

==Core Lvl 2==

===Nautilus===

A sonar submarine.

=Hovercraft=

Hovercraft are tanks that can travel over land or water. They're generally more lightly armed and can take less damage than regular tanks, and are more expensive and take longer to build. They also can't compete with ships at surface combat on the open water. They are, however, excellent on "swampy" maps, with interspersed water and land.

==Common Lvl 1==

===Mausser/Navarone===

A hovercraft version of the Luger/Pillager, but with shorter range and less damage.

===Swatter/Slinger===

An anti-aircraft hovercraft. Carries a homing missile launcher that can only attack airborne targets.

===Anaconda/Snapper===

The hovercraft main battle tank. Both carry a medium-range plasma cannon. Can't stand up to proper tanks or ships, but is very good for quick attacks over small bodies of water.

===Wombat/Nixer===

A hovercraft with a vertical-launch artillery rocket. Very similar to the Merl/Diplomat, but with a shorter range, faster figher rate, and less damage.

===Skimmer/Scrubber===

A fast-moving scout hovercraft with a short-range laser. Useful for spotting for larger, tougher hovercraft.

===Bear/Turtle===

Transport hovercraft that can carry other units over both water and land. Medium speed, but very tough.

=Seaplanes=

Aircraft that can be built from a floating factory, and can take off and land from the water. (Though this is currently broken.) Like hovercraft, they're less cost-effective than regular aircraft, but can be vital on maps without enough land to support a proper airforce. Seaplane factories can only be built on the water by Advanced Construction Submarines and Aircraft

==Common Lvl 1==

===Seahawk/Hunter===

Recon seaplane. Quick and nimble but very weak. Totally unarmed, but carries both a sonar and radar. Very useful for spotting for naval forces.

===Tornado/Voodoo===

Basic fighter seaplane. Similar to the Hawk/Vamp, but not stealthy and with a less powerful air-to-air missile. Will generally lose to a Hawk/Vamp in a head-to-head fight, but counters most other aircraft.

===Albatross/Typhoon===

Basic naval attack seaplane, with an air-to-air guided missile launcher and a pair of powerful homing torpedo launchers. While it can protect itself against aircraft, it's not very good in a dogfight.

===Sabre/Cutlass===

Basic ground attack seaplane. Weaker than a Brawler/Rapier, but still effective. The Sabre has a fast-firing heavy laser, while the Cutlass has a slower-firing but more powerful riot cannon with a large area of effect.

===Tsunami/Malestrom===

Seaplane equivalent of the Phoenix/Hurricane. Uses the same bombs, but lacks the air-to-air missile launcher, and not quite as maneuverable. Effective in the same roles, and also possibly effective against slower ships.

Back to [[Absolute Annihilation]]

[[Category:Mods]]
[[Category:Units]]

Absolute Annihilation/Units

2006-04-16T21:18:01Z

Comp1337: /* Twilight */

Basic descriptions, hints, tactics, and tips for Absolute Annihilation units. Level 1 units are those that can be built by basic factories, Commanders, and level 1 construction units. Level 2 units are those that can be built by advanced factories and level 2 construction units. Level 3 units are those that are built by Experimental Gantries.

=Commander=

You only get one Commander when you start the game, so he's worth special mention. Builds a small selection of things, but has a powerful nanolathe, allowing him to build quickly and assist other construction units. Packs a fairly nasty laser and the D-Gun, a weapon that drains tremendous amounts of energy but does absurd damage. Has a radar and sonar, and can cloak to hide from enemy units. (Though if he's not in a jamming field, they'll see him on radar anyway) Causes an absolutely massive explosion when killed. Moves slowly, but can travel underwater and climb very steep hills. He can also capture enemy units, but this is tricky to pull off, as an alert enemy will usually self-destruct them before he can finish.

There are two main victory conditions in Spring - Commander Dies, Game Continues (Continues) and Commander Dies, Game Ends (Ends). In Continues games, keeping your Commander alive is nice but not vital. This often leads to the Commander being used very offensively in the late-game, and can also lead to assorted lame early-game Commander tactics. In Ends games, keeping the Commander alive in the late-game against the many things that can kill him in a handful of shots becomes very important. He often spends most of his time assisting construction in the back of your base, under heavy jamming and AA cover.

Your Commander provides an excellent defence against early-game assaults and rushes. Do ''not'', however, use your D-Gun unless your Commander's death is imminent or you are faced with a large, tightly-packed swarm of units. It eats up 400 energy a shot, which is a hefty chunk for a level 1 economy, and destroys any reclaimable wreckage. His laser should be more than enough against small groups of raiders, and his main function against larger groups should be to chase them away or into groups of proper combat units. Whatever you do, '''do not''' D-Gun your own structures or units unless it's that or lose the game.

=Factories=

Factories are what let you construct mobile units. We don't describe individual factories in detail, as most are fairly boring. Level 1 factories build Level 1 units and Level 1 construction units. Level 1 construction units build Level 1 structures and the Level 2 factory for their type. So a Level 1 Construction KBot can build a Level 2 KBot Lab, but can't build a Level 2 Vehicle Plant. Level 2 factories build Level 2 units and Level 2 ("Advanced") Construction Units. Level 2 Construction units build Level 2 structures and, in the case of Advanced Construction KBots, the Level 3 factory.

All factories can only be built on land, except for Shipyards, Amphibious Facilities, and Seaplane Pads, which must be built in water. Hovercraft factories can be built on water or land. Amphibious Facilities are odd in that they can construct amphibious units of a wide variety of types. All other factories can only construct units of the appropriate type.

=Resource Structures=

Resource structures produce resources - metal and energy - for you to use to build other things. Quite often, but not always, the winner of a game is whoever builds and successfully protects the most resource-generating structures.

==Common Level 1==

===Metal Extractor===

The basic metal-producing structure. These are fairly cheap, but require a little energy to operate, so your metal production will falter if you overtax your energy! They work a little differently from metal extractors in the original Total Annihilation. Each has a range, represented by the red circle around the extractor when you go to place it, over which they extract metal. The extractor's income is determined by the amount of metal within its range. On maps without well-defined metal patches, space out your extractors and avoid overlapping their ranges!

There is also an underwater version of this structure.

===Wind Generator===

A cheap, fast-building energy-producing structure. Wind generators can be built anywhere on the map, but their output varies randomly based on wind strength. They also need to be space out, as they explode fairly violently and don't have much health. Always be sure to check the wind strength before going into a game, so you know whether or not to build wind generators!

===Solar Generator===

More expensive than a wind generator, solars are also a lot tougher. They give you +20 energy. They close up into a more armored form when attacked. This protects your investment and lets them take a fair amount of punishment from raiders, but they don't produce any energy when closed.

===Tidal Generator===

Tidal generators provide cheap, constant power on water maps. The exact amount of energy a tidal generator provides varies from map to map, though they usually provide about as much as a Solar Generator. Always check the Tidal Generator income before starting a game on a water map.

===Metal Maker===

Metal Makers convert energy to metal, allowing you to continue expanding your economy even once all available metal has been claimed. Each Arm Metal Maker consumes 80e and produces 1m, and each Core Metal Maker consumes 90e and produces 1m. When building metal makers, always use the [[Metal Maker AI]].

There are also floating versions of this structure.

===Advanced Solar Generator===

The Advanced Solar Generator produces more energy than a regular Solar Generator, but has a correspondingly higher price tag. Only useful on maps with poor wind and no geothermal vents.

===Geothermal Powerplant===

These expensive energy-producing structures can only be built on geothermal vents, but are a very efficient way to expand your energy production once you've got a basic economy going. Be careful about when you choose to build them, though, as the geothermal vents on most maps are placed in vulnerable locations.

===Energy/Metal Storage===

As the name indicates, these structures provide you with additional energy and metal storage. Since level 2 resource structures in AA come with energy/metal storage (as appropriate), these aren't very useful. The energy storage can be handy for stockpiling energy for a push to level 2, but you're probably better off building Metal Makers to convert it to metal. The metal storage is virtually useless, as you should always be using up your metal as fast as you can without stalling, ''however'' if you're reclaiming alot of things, especially any commander wreckages laying about, you'll need these in order to make sure you receive all your metal.

==Arm Level 1==

===Twilight===

A basic metal extractor that can cloak for a mere ten energy. This provides some protection against raiders, but is not infallible. The enemy can still spot them if they get too close, and there are only so many places a metal extractor can be put. When they explode, they paralyze in a quite big radius, and can thus be used as mines if nessesary. Also watch out for this when killing them, if the enemy has some units nearby; it is easy to demolish a paralyzed force

==Core Level 1==

===Exploiter===

A basic metal extractor with more armor and an LLT on top. Excellent for claiming territory once your basic economy's on solid ground or if your enemy likes raiding.

Has extra armor against attacks by Peewees/AKs and Flashes/Instigators.

==Common Level 2==

===Moho Mine===

A bigger, better metal extractor. Takes more energy to operate, but extracts more metal from the same ground. These are typically the first things you'll want to build when upgrading to a level 2 economy, as you should easily be able to afford them with a mature level 1 economy. Start with your biggest and best-protected metal patches, and work out from there.

There are also underwater versions of this structure.

===Fusion/Cloakable Fusion===

These structures provide a high, constant energy income. Like Solar and Wind generators, they can be built anywhere on the map. The Cloakable variant is identical, except that it can cloak (to make it harder for the enemy to find), is slightly more expensive, and produces slightly more energy. If you have no easily-defendable geothermal vents available, one of these (with accompanying flak cannons) should be next in your level 2 upgrade plan after you have a few Moho Mines online. A common newbie mistake is building a Fusion plant too early or building too many of them. Don't do this.

Fusions have an impressive explosion, so be sure to space them out.

There are also underwater versions of the regular Fusion plant.

===Moho Metal Maker===

A bigger, better metal maker. Takes much more energy to operate, but produces much more metal. On metal-poor maps (or once you've upgraded all your Metal Extractors to Moho Mines), you'll want to produce these to expand your economy, powered by Fusion plants.

There is also an underwater version of this structure.

===Metal Generator===

A slightly better metal maker that doesn't consume any energy. Fairly expensive and explodes quite violently, so space them out and protect them well.

===Moho Geothermal Powerplant===

A bigger, better geothermal plant. More efficient than a Fusion with comparable energy output, but produces a ''really'' big blast when destroyed. Build these only in safe areas or with ample defences against air and land units, as they make very tempting targets.

===Advanced Fusion Reactor===

A bigger, better fusion reactor. Only usually worthwhile if you're pressed for space or need energy really badly in the very late-game. Defend it very well, as it makes a very tempting target, and produces a very big explosion when destroyed. Can only be built by Advanced Construction Vehicles.

==Arm Level 2==

===Prude===

A bigger, better geothermal plant. Doesn't produce quite as much energy as the Moho Geothermal Powerplant, but is cheaper and explodes significantly less violently. A good choice if you have potentially-threatened geothermal vents, or geothermal vents near other vital infrastructure.

==Core Level 2==

===Exploiter===

A more heavily-armored Moho Mine with a built-in heavy laser and rocket battery. Looks just like a regular Moho Mine until the enemy comes calling, then deploys its weapons and armor and goes to town. These are a little expensive for general use, but great on or near the front lines.

===Behemoth===

A bigger, better geothermal plant with plasma cannons grafted on. Doesn't produce as much energy as the Prude and costs more, but can prove a nasty surprise for enemy assault forces and raiders, especially when near a couple Exploiters.

=Defensive Structures=

Defensive structures are buildings that help protect your base. Most have guns, or are designed to help buildings with guns. Most don't do anything else, and are fairly well-armored. However, don't expect them to win you the game alone! At best, defensive structures will stop minor attacks and slow down major attacks until you can get your own combat units into position to respond.

==Radar/Sonar/Jammer==

Though unarmed, the humble Radar Tower is possibly the most important defensive structure, and one that less experienced players can easily underestimate. It shows enemy units within range and unobstructed by terrain as radar dots. This means that instead of noticing your opponent is trying to attack the back of your base when the back of your base starts blowing up, you notice when a bunch of dots head that way. You can then move your mobile defensive units - and I hope you have some - to intercept the attack, and start beefing up your fortifications. Even more importantly, they let you watch the general pattern of enemy movement, giving you a rough idea of what your foe's up to and where he's massing units and defences, which can be invaluable when placing defences of your own or planning an attack.

Longer range units will fire at enemy units shown on radar before they can see them. The accuracy of a unit is reduced when firing at a target that's only visible as a radar dot, so these shots will often miss. Radar towers can see further than other units, so building them right next to other defensive structures may improve these structures' line of sight, allowing them to fire more accurately at units a little further away. Radar towers are cheap and fragile and often an early casualty of an enemy attack, so it doesn't hurt to build spares.

In the early game on spread out maps, consider building radar towers to 'protect' your expansion. Instead of trying to build defensive structures everywhere, build good radar tower coverage and position your mobile forces to easily intercept attacking forces.

Radar is not infallible. In addition to being blocked by terrain, it can be countered by radar jamming towers and units, which prevent radar detection of any units within their area of effect. There are also specialized late-game long-range weapons that quickly, cheaply, and efficiently destroy any radar or jammer towers within their area of effect. Finally, some units (such as the Arm Gremlin tank or Core Vamp fighter) are "Stealthy", and cannot be detected by radar.

Sonar Stations function similarly to Radar Towers, but can only detect units that are in the water.

There are advanced versions of all of these structures available with a higher cost, more HP, and a longer effective range. There are also floating radar towers that can be built on water.

==Dragon's Eye==

The Dragon's Eye, like the Radar Tower, provides you with advance warning of threats to your base. Dragon's Eyes have a long visual range, can be built underwater, and are stealthy (cannot be detected by radar) and can cloak (hiding themselves from visual detection) for a modest -10e cost. Building Dragon's Eyes around the perimeter of your base near the edge of the sight range of your other defensive structures can help them engage incoming enemies more effectively and gives you information about ''what'' is attacking your base.

==Dragon's Teeth/Fortification Walls==

These defensive structures aren't really structures. They do nothing but block the movement of enemy units, but are very cheap and fast to build. They can take a lot of damage, but can be reclaimed by construction units. Heavy units, like Bulldogs or Goliaths, can drive over Dragon's Teeth, destroying them in the process.

Floating Dragon's Teeth can also be built on water.

==Level 1==

===Light Laser Tower===

Very cheap defensive structure that you should build early and often. Will stop those pesky players who like to send small squads a minute or two in the game from doing damage to your economy that you may never recover from. This unit is good against light, fast ground forces, but is outranged by anything heavier. It is weak against air, but does hit sometimes. Often refered to abbreviated as LLT. They're good for covering mostly-blocked approaches to your base (like hills), as they can kill most light raiding forces.

===Defender/Pulveriser Missile Tower===

Very cheap defensive structure. It can provide protection against early air rushes. Does not need to be built as early as LLTs, as building an air force is slower. Will take out level 1 fighters and level 1 gunships easily. Effective against level 1 bombers, but several are needed if the opponent attacks in numbers. Not a cost-effective defence against level 2 air, and quite easy to destroy. ''Will not shoot at land units.'' Often abbreviated as MT.

There are also floating versions that can be built on water.

===Chainsaw/Eradicator Anti-bomber Turret===

Moderately expensive heavy-duty version of the missile towers. Fires a rapid stream of missiles. Quite tough to destroy and can take out large numbers of level 1 air units. Does ok against level 2 air units, but Flak cannons are a better option by this point as they're much more effective and not much more expensive. ''Will not shoot at land units.''

===Sentinel/Gaat Gun Heavy Laser Tower===

Moderately expensive defensive structure. Longer range and harder hitting than a LLT, can do serious damage to even level 2 attackers. Effective against land but not air. Can be outranged by longer-ranged level 2 ground units. Often abbreviated HLT. These are vital for protecting your expansions and base in the mid-game, as they can destroy massive swarms of L1 units. They require energy to fire, though, so be sure to have ample power available.

There are also floating versions that can be built on water.

===Guardian/Punisher Plasma Cannon===

Expensive plasma cannons. Quite a long range and pack a fair bit of punch. Many games begin with an expansion phase with players marking out territory. Once the territories start to clash in the middle, you can almost guarantee that one or both players will start building plasma cannons. These can then kill all the LLTs and HLTs in the opponent's front line. Once a cannon is completed it will start shelling any enemy forces that are within range. It can be set to "High Fire", which causes it to fire more damaging but highly inaccurate shells with a large area of effect in a high arc, or "Low Fire", which causes more direct, more accurate, but less powerful shells to be fired.

The normal reaction is then for the enemy to rush at the Guardian with all available nearby units. An inexperienced player may find he has not adequately protected his Guardian with LLTs, HLTs, or mobile forces, and will then lose a unit that cost a large amount of resources to build. More experienced players learn to build adequate protection or place their Guardian in an established position. This allows them to to devastate the enemy's fixed defences and kill many of the units sent to take out the Guardian, yielding a net metal gain. In some circumstances it may be better to retreat from the enemy's Guardian position and quickly tech to level 2 or build a small force of Thunders/Shadows for a definitive assault rather than losing units in a futile counter attack.

Another option is to construct a radar jammer near your front lines, which prevents the Guardian from auto-targetting them until something actually sees the units. This allows you to construct a Guardian of your own and return fire.

===Anenome/Jellyfish===

The Anenome/Jellyfish are the only land-based anti-submarine weapon in AA. They launch depth charges that can damage submarines and submersed amphibious units. As land structures, most submarines cannot attack them. Their very short range means that they have to be built on the very edge of your coast, and are not a good general-purpose anti-submarine solution.

===Harpoon/Urchin===

These floating torpedo launchers provide close-range anti-submarine/anti-ship defence. They can only be built in water, and can only attack units in the water. They're effective against raiders and submarines, but don't expect them to do much against a serious surface vessel assault, as even the humble plasma cannon on the Crusader/Enforcer outranges them by a significant margin. They are very effective against amphibious units, which move slowly and are unable to fire back.

Cannot attack Hovercraft.

==Level 2==

===Flakker/Cobra===

Late-game anti-aircraft defence, flak cannons are one of the two replacements for MTs. They're relatively short-ranged, but do a lot of damage, fire quickly, and have a massive area of effect. They're incredible against gunships, which tend to cluster, allowing the flak cannon to damage or destroy several with a single shot. Put these near vital late-game structures to prevent your enemy from swarming and destroying them with gunships. ''Flak cannons cannot attack ground units''.

There are also floating versions that can be built on water.

===Mercury/Screamer===

These upgraded MTs provide late-game anti-aircraft defence. Their guided missiles have a very long range - roughly half that of a VLRPC, do enough damage to kill almost any plane, and have an impressive blast radius. Very good against level 2 bombers and fighters. ''Cannot attack ground units.'' These units fire quite slowly, so should not be relied on as a primary anti air defence.

===Annihilator/Doomsday Machine===

The big brother of the HLT, these structures fill the same role in the late game. Their weapon, affectionately referred to as the "Blue Laser of Death", is slow-firing but capable of destroying most units in a single shot. They have an impressive range, but are still outranged by several kinds of artillery, so don't expect them to create an unbreakable defence!

Assaulting a line of BLoDs in the late game can be challenging, especially if they're properly supported by mobile units and anti-air. A good choice is to exploit their slow refire time and throw a swarm of fast, light, cheap units (like Flashes/Instigators, or even Jeffies/Weasels or Peewees/AKs) at them first, then hit them with longer-ranged units (Sharpshooters, Morties, Penetrators, Vanguards, Catapults, Tremors, etc.) while they're chewing on those. If the enemy's neglected to give his BLoDs proper AA support, gunships or bombers can be very effective. If all else fails, a barrage of Cruise Missiles will probably work.

===Ambusher/Toaster===

The big brother of the Guardian. They have a bit more range and a bit more firepower. When not in use they fold away into a concrete bunker. This allows them to survive much larger amounts of damage, making them virtually immune to long-range artillery.

===Moray/Lamprey===

Heavier versions of the Harpoon/Urchin. They do more damage and have a slightly longer range, but are still largely ineffective against surface vessels. These structures are totaly under water, and so can only be targetted by depth charges.

Cannot attack Hovercraft.

===Big Bertha/Intimidator===

These massive plasma cannons, often called Very Long-Range Plasma Cannons (VLRPCs) can deliver large amounts of firepower across a significant portion of even the largest maps. Their extreme range and destructive power are compensated for by their poor accuracy, low health, and high energy cost per shot.

At first these appear to be a game ending weapon. They are capable of attacking pretty much anywhere on many maps, and so could, in theory, destroy an entire base. In practice, these seem to take a long time to do significant damage. Many of the more critical structures, such as factories or Fusion Plants can survive fire from a VLRPC for long enough for a construction unit to repair the damage. Others can simply be rebuilt once the cannon's moved on to other targets.

Sustained fire from several of these cannons over a base acts as an effective siege mechanism. It makes it much harder to build, as anything under construction is quite vulnerable to being destroyed. Construction units are also quite vulnerable, and many can be taken out at once by a lucky hit. This can gradually tilt the balance of economic power in favour of a player with the VLRPC, even with the hefty cost of each shot.

Once one of these cannons starts to fire, there are several possible replies. An aggressive opponent will normally search for the VLRPC doing the damage, probably with scout aircraft. Observing the direction the shells are coming from will give a reasonable indication of where to look. If the cannon has been built without considerable protection, it will normally be attacked and destroyed. If it is heavily protected, the opponent may feel that they must attack anyway and lose a lot of units for nothing. Other options include building your own VRLPC (or better still half a dozen) scattered throughout your base to respond to your enemy's attacks. Some players may try building a [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/w/index.php?title=Absolute_Annihilation/Units#Deflector deflector] to nullify the effect of the VRLPC, but this can be prohibitively expensive, especially if you try to carpet your entire base. Building [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/w/index.php?title=Absolute_Annihilation/Units#Radar.2FSonar.2FJammer radar jammers] can be more useful, as these cannons won't fire at something they can't see. Even with a jammer up, a few cheap air scouts will usually reveal plenty of targets for these cannons to fire at, so they typically have to be backed up with a Mercury/Screamer or two and some smaller MTs near the edges of your base.

===Vulcan/Buzzsaw===

A rapid-fire VLRPC that's even less accurate than its single-shot cousins. Definitely an [[Uberweapon]]. Like the Krogoth and Orcone, there's no reason to build one of these in most games, unless all other porc-cracking options have failed. It drains energy like mad, but its high damage, absurd rate of fire, and insane scatter will destroy all but the most hardened bases. Give it a lot of support, as your opponent ''will'' be coming to kill it as soon as it opens fire on him.

===Protector/Fortitude===

The Protector/Fortitude are purely defensive structures. They have no offensive weapons, but can intercept any nuclear weapons whose trajectories cross their operating range, which is displayed as a circle on your radar, as long as they have ammo. A must in most games as soon as your level 2 economy is on a solid footing, even if just as a precaution against a last-ditch strike by your enemy. In a Commander Dies, Game Ends game, you ''will'' want to keep your Commander well inside the range of a Protector/Fortitude at all times.

You need to construct ammo stores for this weapon. This is done using the normal construction interface. Standard practice is to queue up at least 50 rounds while it's being built and then leave it. If you ever have to intercept more than 50 nuclear missiles, you're doing something wrong.

Be sure to give these good AA cover. Standard practice when launching a nuke strike is to send a mob of Phoenix/Hurricanes to kill the enemy's anti-nuke, then follow up with a nuke volley.

===Retaliator/Silencer===

The Retaliator/Silencer are more offensive weapons than defensive weapons. They can fire nuclear ballistic missiles (which much be constructed before launch) all the way across almost any map, each of which can destroy a substantial portion of an enemy base. Very few things can survive a nuke blast, though the missiles can be intercepted by Protectors/Fortitudes.

===Detonator/Catalyst===

These tactical nuke launchers are similar to the Retaliator/Silencer, but much shorter-ranged and do much less damage. Their projectiles cannot be intercepted, though, making them more practical. Like nukes and anti-nukes, the Detonator/Catalyst must build each shot before it can be used.

===Juno===

The Juno is a much more limited balistic missile launcher. Its missiles cannot be intercepted, but do no damage to normal units. They will, however, destroy all radar, sonar, or radar/sonar jammer units within their area of effect, and will also destroy Dragon's Eye cameras.

===Deflector===

The Deflector is one of the few proper counters to VLRPCs, other than extensive jamming and AA. It generates a field that deflects most weapons fire targetted in or through a small area, but costs energy per shot deflected. It can deflect plasma shells, gauss shells, and EMG fire, but cannot deflect lasers, missiles, flamethrowers, lightning shots, or bombs. The field affects all fire directed into it from outside, but ''will not'' affect any shots fired from inside the field. This means that your units can safely fire out, but also that the field will be ineffective if the enemy manages to get inside.

While it can provide protection against VLRPC and RFVLRPC fire, keep in mind that the shells still have to land ''somewhere''. And that "somewhere" will likely be on top of any structures you have near the edge of the field. And if you run out of energy they stop working; a large volume of weapon fire can overwhelm your energy sources and and then get through.

VLRPCs cannot be safely placed close to a Deflector. They're tall enough that the deflector will actually catch and deflect the shot as it leaves the barrel, making the VLRPC even more incredibly inaccurate than usual. Deflectors are best used for protecting defensive structures whose weapons are unaffected by it (like lasers, missile towers, or flak cannons), resource-generating structures, factories, or your Commander.

===Pitbull/Viper===

Shorter-ranged pop-up weapons, the Arm Pitbull fires a line-of-sight gauss projectile and the Core Viper fires heavy rockets. These structures fill about the same role as an LLT in the late-game and can, if you have the resources, make good support for a BLoD or act as replacements for destroyed HLTs.

=Utility Structures=

They don't, strictly speaking, help you kill your enemy, make more units to kill your enemy, or prevent your enemy from killing your base, but these structures can be important all the same.

==Targeting Facility==

This Level 2 structure makes your fire against targets that can be seen only on radar substantially more accurate. It's fairly costly and takes a reasonably hefty chunk of energy to operate, but can be very useful for bombarding your enemy's defences from outside of their effective range.

There is also a floating version of this structure, which is very useful for naval battles, as engagements between surface ships will often happen without either side ever seeing the other.

==Air Repair Pad==

This Level 2 structure makes maintaining a large fleet of aircraft much easier. When switched on, it consumes a small amount of energy (250), and aircraft with "patrol" or "attack" orders will, when they're down to a certain health percentage, seek out an open air repair pad, land there, get repaired, and then return to carrying out their orders. The health percentage can be configured in the unit's orders panel.

=KBots=

KBots are units that use legs to move. They're generally more lightly armed than vehicles and can take less damage, but are cheaper, build faster, and can cross rough terrain and climb hills much better. KBots are generally good for massed assaults or surprise attacks over difficult terrain. The exception is "Level 3" KBots, which have incredibly powerful weapons and can take absurd amounts of damage.

==Common lvl 1==

For many lvl1 units, there's no significant difference between the Arm and Core versions. These units get listed here.

===Peewee/AK===

Small cheap infantry KBot. The die very quickly to any significant opposition, but are speedy and can see farther than other L1 KBots. Can be used for scouting, [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/wiki/Swarming swarming] and as cannon fodder mixed with more valuable units. Good for early attacks on an enemy base, but they become obsolete very quickly.

===Rocko/Storm===

Slighly more expensive KBot with a long-range rocket launcher. Together with Hammers/Thuds, Rockos/Storms will tend to form the backbone of an early KBot force. Their rockets are direct-fire, so they can't fire over other units. Position them carefully, as they will occasionally try, damaging your units in the process! (Using a line-movement command works very nicely for them) Their long range lets them get off at least a couple shots at most L1 defensive structures. They outrange LLTs, but cannot fire at them effectively without spotters.

===Hammer/Thud===

The Hammer and Thud fire small plasma shells, which lets them fire over other units and small terrain obstructions. This means that most units in a mass can fire, whereas for many other units only the front line can fire. They can also fire over wreckage, Dragon's Teeth, and other obstructions. Hammers and Thuds are best used as early heavy main battle units.

===Jethro/Crasher===

Fires guided missiles and can only attack air units. Basic level 1 mobile anti-air. Pretty much a walking missile tower.

==Arm lvl 1==

===Warrior===

Costs a fair bit more than any other level kbot and is very slow. Has a lot of health and two fast-firing lasers. The Warrior is the Arm's L1 anti-swarm unit, and does more damage to (and takes less damage from) L1 swarm units.

===Flea===

Super cheap. Very fast. And dies if you yell at it. Possibly try building a few of them first on large maps and sending a few towards your opponents. Their speed and cheapness may catch them off guard if you are lucky.

==Core lvl 1==

The Core has no unique Level 1 Kbots.

==Common Lvl 2==

===Decoy Commander===

Useless in Commander Dies, Game Continues games. In Commander Dies, Game Ends games, these units are very handy. They can be used to lure the enemy into making futile or ill-concieved attacks in hope of killing your Commander and wiping out your army. Does absolutely nothing else, but has a number of features to make it a more convincing decoy.

===Rector/Necro===

The stealthy Rector and Necro can bring other units back to life, provided their wreckage hasn't taken too much damage. While this is costly, it can allow you to recover from a well-executed attack by pressing the remains of the enemy's attack force into your service to suppliment your own army.

===Invader/Roach===

The humble Invader and Roach have no purpose in life beyond crawling towards the enemy extremely slowly and exploding extremely violently. These units can climb very steep hills and are amphibious, allowing them to pop up from unexpected directions. They die very easily, but if you can slip them past the enemy's defenses, they'll do a lot of damage to his economy. Their explosions are significantly more destructive if you self-destruct them.

===Infiltrator/Parasite===

A stealthy, cloakable KBot, the Infiltrator and Parasite are totally unarmed. They're good for finding out what your enemy's up to. They have the ability to create a medium sized paralysing explosion when they self destruct, making them usefull for getting past an enemy's defences.

==Arm lvl 2==

===Fido===

A very average level 2 KBot. Average cost, range, armour, speed, and firepower. Versatile but not particularly good at any one thing. Not worth building in large numbers. It may be worth having a few to support other KBots.

===Zipper===

Fast [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/wiki/Swarming swarm] unit with a short range direct fire weapon. Masses of these can survive surprising amounts of fire to do damage to undefended areas of a base. Seem to be able to push level 1 units out of the way, and are also very good at finding their way through wreckage fields due to their small size.

===Maverick===

Moderately expensive Kbot packing two gauss guns with medium range. Not particularly durable or fast, but if you can get it in range of a target it should do quite a lot of damage. Best against L1 units, which it destroys with ease.

===Zeus===

Slow and tough. It has a short-ranged but powerful lightning cannon. In numbers they can take and dish out a lot of damage, and are excellent defence-busters in the mid-to-late game.

===FatBoy===

Slower and tougher than the Zeus, the Fatboy carries a massive plasma cannon with a long range, high damage, and large area of effect. Very good at supporting swarms of Zeuses, but watch what they're shooting at to make sure they don't blow up your own units.

===Pelican===

This unique amphibious KBot travels quickly over the surface of the water. It packs a direct-fire laser for use against ground units and a homing missile launcher for use against aircraft.

===Eraser===

A mobile radar jammer. Useful for keeping the enemy from noticing an attack force until it's too late.

===FARK===

The Fast Assist Repair KBot can't build much, but is cheap and has a good nanolathe. This makes swarms of FARKs excellent assistants for primary construction units. FARKs are also fairly small and fast, which makes them better at supporting combat units than regular construction units.

===Sharpshooter===

One of the nastiest Arm Lvl2 Kbots, the Sharpshooter is stealthy ''and'' can cloak, making it very hard to spot when it's not firing. Even when firing, it can be tough to find, as its weapon is invisible, but has a very distinctive noise. Its weapon is very slow-firing and long-range, and does absurd amounts of damage. It does even more absurd damage to Krogoths, Orcones, and Juggarnauts, making swarms of Sharpshooters an excellent counter against Uberweapons.

===Recluse===

A spider KBot that can climb up almost anything. Can cause nightmares for unprepared opponenets who don't think land units will be able to cross a steep terrain barrier, and as a result don't build any suitable defence in that direction. It fires heavy rockets that aren't particularly fast or accurate. If you assemble a swarm in your own base, you better put them on hold fire or hope your opponent doesn't attack with air, as their rockets will fire up at the enemy planes, miss and land somewhere within your base....

Sometimes you can climb these halfway up a steep slope near some enemy units and stop. The defenders units won't be able to shoot you because they would have to do so through the rock, but you can lob rockets up and over.

===Spider===

Another spider KBot, similar to the Recluse but smaller, faster, and armed with a paralysing weapon. Can be a nightmare even when not using it's wall-climbing ability to attack a base from an undefended angle, as it can prevent your units from effectively fighting the things that are killing them.

==Core lvl 2==

===Pyro===

Core's level 2 [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/wiki/Swarming swarm] unit. A bit tougher and slower than the Zipper. Packs a flamethrower that can dish out a lot of damage to multiple units if you get within its short range. Doesn't leave wreckage, making it an excellent raider.

===The Can===

Silly looking KBot that waddles along fairly slowly, but don't laugh if they are coming to get you. Fairly expensive and very tough. Packs a pretty fierce punch with its laser weapon, but does not have a big range. Enemy units can sometimes retreat, fire, and then continue retreating, staying out of The Can's range the entire time. They'd better hope they kill it before they run out of room to retreat, though!

===Sumo===

Take The Can and make it much tougher and slower. Similar weapon range and power. Doesn't look quite as silly. Can be used as an extremely slow but hard-to-stop offensive weapon, or as a mobile HLT in your base.

===Morty===

A support KBot with a very big gun. Has a long range, but doesn't do a lot of damage and isn't particularly durable. Keep them behind a line of Cans, Sumos, and Pyros, and use them to bombard enemy defences.

===Gimp===

A faster, weaker, amphibious version of the Can. Packs a slightly weaker version of the Can's lasers and a torpedo launcher. The torpedos are extremely weak against submarines, though, so don't try using this as a general-purpose underwater combat unit!

===Freaker===

A fast-moving construction unit, the Freaker has a very eclectic build menu. It can construct mines, static defenses, and some combat units. Using them to construct Cans near the front lines to reinforce your assault force can be very effective!

===Dominator===

Another artillery support KBot, the Dominator fires vertical-launch rockets. These are shorter-ranged and less accurate than the Morty's shells, but are much more powerful and can fire over practically anything. Protected by a wall of Cans and Sumos, Dominators are wonderful at destroying structures of all kinds. Just don't try using them on mobile units!

===Voyeur===

A walking radar tower.

===Termite===

This KBot can climb over practically anything. It's fairly tough and packs a heavy laser. Great for surprise attacks against an unprotected flank of the enemy base, but don't expect them to last long on the front lines.

===Skuttle===

A bigger, badder version of the Roach. Not only does it make a bigger bang, it can cloak and climb absolutely anything.

==Common lvl 3==

===Avatar/Mauler===

A mobile Big Bertha/Intimidator. Slow and dies pretty much as soon as the enemy looks at it, but can devastate enemy positions from unexpected directions.

==Arm lvl 3==

===Orcone===

An [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/wiki/Uberweapon Uberweapon]. Costs absurd amounts of resources. Slow, but will destroy pretty much anything in its path. Very vulnerable to Sharpshooters, Annihilators/Doomsday Machines, and VLRPCs. Not generally worth investing in unless facing an enemy who's porcing heavily, and even then they need a lot of support from conventional units. If you see one coming, don't panic, start building Sumos or Sharpshooters and stick them (cloaked, in the case of Sharpshooters) in its path.

===Bantha===

Heavy attack mech. Shoots guided rockets, blue lasers, and plasma projectiles. Very hard to kill. Basically a mini-Orcone at a much more practical cost. It can be vulnerable to heavy attack from the air, and also dies to many of the same counters as the Orcone. Don't use these without a lot of support units backing them up!

===Razorback===

A light assault mech. Employs short-ranged but rapid-fire lasers and a multi-hit blaster. Faster than the Bantha or Orcone, much cheaper, and easier to fit into a regular assault force. Support them well, as they're very weak against Gunships, and can be taken out by sufficiently large groups of L2 units.

===Marauder===

A heavy amphibious assault unit. Fairly fast, and can be very deadly if your enemy hasn't protected his shoreline properly.

===Vanguard===

A slow but tough unit with a powerful long-range gun. Good as support for a mixed force of Razorbacks and L2 units. Can climb near-vertical walls to attack from unexpected directions and byspass enemy defences.

===Requiter===

A mobile tactical nuke launcher. Its missiles cannot be intercepted by anti-nukes, but do significantly less damage than regular nukes. Slow and dies very easily.

==Core lvl 3==

===Krogoth===

An [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/wiki/Uberweapon Uberweapon]. Costs absurd amounts of resources. Slightly more powerful and tougher than the Orcone, but otherwise identical.

===Krogtaar===

A miniature Krogoth. Significantly cheaper, faster, and easier to kill. Fires a riot cannon with a medium range and high damage, making it very good against swarms of level 1 units. Much more practical than the Krogoth.

===Karganeth===

The smallest and cheapest of the Core lvl3 mechs, and thus the most practical. The Karganeth packs rapid-fire homing missiles, making it effective against both land and air targets. This also means it fits very well into a mixed assault force. It also has the ability to climb nearly vertical cliffs, allowing it to bypass an enemy's defences.

===Shiva===

The Core amphibious lvl3 mech, the Shiva is an impressive unit. It carries plasma cannons and a pair of vertical-launch rocket launchers. While vulernable in the water, if one reaches your shore, you're in trouble. Only worth building on maps with sparse but restrictive water.

===Juggernaut===

Slower and weaker than a Krogoth, but about a quarter the cost. Carries a fast-firing multiple-hit gauss cannon with fairly good damage. Most useful as a mobile turret in your base. Don't try going on the offensive with one of these unless your opponent's been neglecting his fixed defences!

===Catapult===

This Core Lvl3 mech can unleash a massive, near-continuous stream of powerful, unguided, long-range rockets. It can't take much fire, though.

=Vehicles=

Vehicles use wheels or tracks to move. They're heavily armed and can take a lot of damage, but are more expensive and slower to build than KBots. They are also slowed or stopped entirely by rough terrain and can't climb hills very well. Vehicles are good for frontal assaults and generally smashing through defences.

==Common Lvl 1==

These vehicles are effectively identical for both races, and so are described only once.

===Jeffy/Weasel===

Cheap, fast units with a long line-of-sight. While they are armed, their weapon can't do much damage, and they have almost no HP. They're decent for scouting (you know you've found an enemy when they explode) and good for raiding your enemy's resource structures in the early game.

===Flash/Instigator===

The tank equivallent of the Peewee/AK. Flashes and Instigators have slightly more health and can't see as far, but are otherwise very similar to their KBot cousins. Flashes are currently ludicrously cost-effective, and remain useful throughout the game because of this.

===Stumpy/Raider===

The tank equivallent of the Hammer/Thud. Stumpies and Raiders are very tough for L1 units, and are very good at killing LLTs and even HLTs. Sometimes they can even survive long enough to do decent damage to larger defensive structures.

===Samson/Slasher===

The tank equivallent of the Jethro/Crasher. These units ''can'' attack ground units, but are much more effective against aircraft. They're very slow, though, making them hard to use effectively.

===Pincer/Garpike===

This otherwise-unremarkable L1 tank can travel underwater, allowing it to cross rivers and small lakes to attack the enemy from an unexpected direction. Don't expect it to survive crossing larger bodies of water, though, as it dies fast to submarines and torpedo launchers.

===Shellshocker/Wolverine===

The only true L1 artillery unit, the Shellshocker and Wolverine fire a projectile that has a very high trajectory and long range but extremely poor accuracy. Useful for taking out fixed defences, but keep them well away from your combat units or set them to hold fire, as their shots will often hit friendly units in the middle of a skirmish.

===Podger/Spoiler===

This unit both lays and clears mines. Although powerful, mines require fairly hefty amounts of energy to stay cloaked. If you can spare the power, they're very good at blocking up chokepoints and slowing down attackers. Most players don't bother.

==Arm Lvl 1==

===Janus===

This tank packs a slow-firing but very powerful pair of heavy rocket launchers. Its rockets can't always fire over other units (and will do serious damage to them if they get in the way) but have a good range. Very good against most forms of static defence, as long as there are other units to soak up the damage.

==Core Lvl 1==

===Leveler===

The Core's answer to swarm attacks by Flashes is the Leveler. The tank itself is slow, and its weapon is short-ranged, but it packs a ''massive'' punch and has a huge area of effect. Not only that, but it'll send enemy units flying and create craters, severely hampering the enemy's mobility.

==Common Lvl 2==

===Scarab/Hedgehog===

A mobile anti-nuke. Useful for protecting a force of ground units dispatched to assault a nuclear missile silo, or for covering an expansion until you can get a proper anti-nuke built there.

===Phalanx/Copperhead===

A mobile flak cannon. Excellent anti-aircraft coverage for your level 2 attack force. In fact, the ''only'' dedicated level 2 anti-aircraft unit. Maneuver them carefully, as they're fairly fragile. You want to keep them close enough to cover your forces, but far enough back that enemy ground units can't easily target them.

===Luger/Pillager===

A mobile artillery plasma cannon. Like the Shellshocker/Wolverine, fires its shells in a high arc, allowing them to travel over most things. Has less range and does less damage per shot than the Merl/Diplomat, but fires significantly faster. Decent support for a unit of tanks or Merls/Diplomats.

===Merl/Diplomat===

A mobile artillery missile launcher. The Merl/Diplomat fire their long-range, high-damage missiles vertically, which allows them to fire over practically anything. This also means their missiles take a long time to reach their targets, making them useless against mobile units. Set these things to Hold Fire, if your enemy has mobile units (especially aircraft) around, or you ''will'' destroy your own mobile units.

==Arm Lvl 2==

===Bulldog===

The basic, vanilla Arm level 2 tank. Heavily armored, fairly speedy, and equipped with a medium-range, medium-damage plasma cannon that can fire over other units. Bulldogs can drive over level 1 unit wreckage and Dragon's Teeth, which makes them good at breaking through heavily contested or fortified areas.

===Triton===

A light, amphibious level 2 tank. Faster than the Bulldog, but has less health and a smaller gun. Useful as a spearhead for amphibious assaults, to soak up fire and clear out defenders before heavier units come in.

===Panther===

A fast, light level 2 tank. Armed with a lightning cannon similar to the Zeus' (for use against ground units) and a homing missile launcher (for use against aircraft). Its main advantage is its speed, which allows it to spot for heavier tanks and close with defensive structures to use its cannon. Dies very easily, so support them with bigger tanks.

===Penetrator===

A mobile Blue Laser of Death. Slow and not too tough, but can do a lot of damage. Excellent support for a force of Bulldogs, Demolishers, and Panthers. Its turret can only turn through a small firing arc, so it's easily destroyed by light, fast units. Keep them far back and well-covered.

===Seer===

Radar on wheels.

===Gremlin===

A stealthy, fast, cloakable (?) light tank. It can't take much damage, and has a short-range, low-damage cannon, but is excellent at raiding. If you can find a hole in your enemy's lines and slip a few of these through, you can often do a lot of damage before he can stop them.

===Consul===

The Arm mobile engineer. Can build mines, a nice selection of defensive structures, and a few mobile units, including the Fido. This may be one of the few actual uses for the Fido: front-line reinforcements from a Consul.

===Demolisher===

A heavy tank with a medium-range, high-damage lightning cannon. Very tough and very slow. Best used mixed with other tanks, such as Bulldogs, Panthers, and Penetrators. Like the Bulldog, it can roll over wreckage and Dragon's Teeth.

==Core Lvl 2==

===Deleter===

A mobile radar jammer.

===Goliath===

A very tough, very slow-moving tank with a big, indirect-fire, long-range gun with a hefty blast radius. The Goliath is the Core's primary level 2 tank, and while expensive, a force of them can do very impressive damage and can be very difficult to stop. It can roll over most wreckage and Dragon's Teeth.

===Poison Arrow===

A heavy amphibious tank. Less well-armored than the Goliath but faster. Has a long-ranged, powerful, indirect-fire cannon. Only really useful on maps with small bodies of water as, like most amphibious vehicles, subs do a number on it.

===Reaper===

A tough, fast tank with a flamethrower. Best used as a screening force for Goliaths, as it can handle light, fast units very well. If you can't afford Goliaths, Reapers can make an acceptable assault unit, but are limited by their lack of range. Their damage more than makes up for it, especially if you can set a forest on fire with enemy units in it!

===Croc===

A medium amphibious tank, very similar to the Triton. The usual limitations of amphibious units apply.

===Intruder===

A heavy amphibious transport, the Intruder's very useful for moving around assault forces. It's quite quick, and can be used to ferry heavy but slow units (like the Can or Sumo) to the front lines, or to bring up additional units to support an amphibious assault.

===Banisher===

A reasonably fast, reasonably tough tank packing a heavy missile launcher. Note that, unlike most other level 2 tank weapons, its rockets ''cannot'' fire over other units. While they can do a lot of damage, this means that you'd better make sure none of your units are in the line of fire.

===Tremor===

Absolutely terrifying mobile artillery. Quite tough, not too sluggish, and packs a rapid-fire indirect-fire cannon. (Basically a mini-Buzzsaw) Individual shots aren't particularly strong and it has about the same range as the Diplomat, but fires faster any other artillery unit.

=Aircraft=

Aircraft are airborne combat units. They're fast, heavily armed, can cross any terrain, but can take very little damage. Most aircraft are very specialized, and only good at one or two very specific things. Against units not built specifically to counter them, aircraft are very effective. Against anti-air units, they're practically useless.

All aircraft have a limited-range sonar, allowing them to see submerged units immediately under them.

==Common Lvl 1==

===Peeper/Fink===

A light recon aircraft. Unarmed and can't take much damage, but very fast, cheap, and nimble, with a long line of sight and a radar. They're best used as scouts, to spot targets for long-range artillery or attack forces.

===Freedom Fighter/Avenger===

A basic fighter aircraft. Fast and maneuverable, but can't take much damage. Carries a homing air-to-air missile and a weaker air-to-ground missile. Do not use these to attack ground units, it's a waste of resources. Mostly good against other level 1 aircraft, though they can work against level 2 gunships.

===Thunder/Shadow===

A basic bomber aircraft. Slower and clumsier than the level 1 fighters, but much tougher. Attacks using a line of high-damage bombs, allowing it to damage or destroy several defensive structures in a single pass, or do more damage to larger structures. Not much use against mobile units, which can generally move out of the way before the bombs hit, but can do acceptable damage against packs of units.

===Atlas/Valkyrie===

A basic airborne transport. Can only carry one unit, but does so very quickly. Can't take a lot of damage, and accelerates slowly, but invaluable when you need to move a unit up a cliff or over some water in a hurry. Their low volume and vulnerability to AA fire makes them poorly-suited for assault roles.

One common use for these units is kidnapping enemy construction units or Commanders. (Though the Commander's laser can often destroy them before they can grab him) This means it's a good idea to build one or two missile towers to cover your construction units as soon as you can spare the resources. Even a single missile tower will be able to do enough damage to destroy would-be kidnappers.

==Arm Lvl 1==

===Banshee===

A basic ground attack aircraft. Slow but tough, and carries a weak, short-ranged EMG for use against ground units. While it doesn't do a lot of damaged, an early Banshee assault can cripple an enemy who's neglected to build even a handful of missile towers. It can hover, allowing it to attack slow-moving or stationary ground units very effectively but making it very vulnerable to flak.

==Core Lvl 1==

===Bladewing===

A basic gunship. Fast, but not very tough. Carries a laser that paralyzes its target. Best used in swarms to support other combat units in the field, by paralyzing serious threats. It can hover, allowing it to attack slow-moving or stationary ground units very effectively but making it very vulnerable to flak.

==Common Lvl 2==

===Brawler/Rapier===

Tough but slow ground attack aircraft. The Brawler carries an rapid-fire weak weapon, while the Rapier has slower-firing but more powerful rockets. Both can hover, allowing them to attack slow-moving or stationary ground units effectively, but making them very vulnerable to flak.

===Phoenix/Hurricane===

A bigger, nastier bomber aircraft. Drops many more bombs that do much more damage. Unless heavy AA is present along their approach a swarm of bombers ''will'' release enough ordinance in a single pass to destroy their target. This makes them very effective first-strike weapons against things like Annihilators/Doomsday Machines, nuclear missile silos, VLRPCs, fusion plants, etc. Also carries a homing missile launcher to fend off fighters.

===Lancet/Titan===

A bomber-type aircraft that fires homing torpedoes instead of normal bombs. Virtually useless against land units, very effective against ships.

===Hawk/Vamp===

A bigger, nastier fighter aircraft. The Hawk is slightly tougher and turns faster, and the Vamp is slightly faster. Both are stealthy, and are very good against enemy bombers and level 1 fighters. Not so good offensively, though, as they suck at ground attack.

===Eagle/Vulture===

A more sophisticated recon plane. Has a longer radar range and carries a real sonar.

===Blade/Blackdawn===

A gunship with even more armor and an even bigger weapon. These usually aren't cost-effective. It's better to build larger swarms of Brawlers/Rapiers.

==Arm Lvl 2==

===Liche===

A very powerful bomber. Drops only a single bomb, but it has a large blast radius and does a lot of damage. Very vulnerable to anti-air fire, so give it lots of cover. Excellent for taking out big, expensive targets.

===Dragonfly===

A stealthy version of the Atlas. Tougher, and armed with a paralysing weapon. It is able to transport heavier units than the level 1 transports.

===Stilleto===

A stealthy bomber whose weapon paralyzes targets caught in the blast. Good for softening up a defence line or assault force with insufficient AA.

==Core Lvl 2==

===Seahook===

A heavy but slow air transport that can lift absolutely anything. Yes, even a Krogoth. Just hope that your enemy's fighter squadrons don't catch this thing in mid-air when it's lugging Kroggy around, though!

===Krow===

Death on wings. A very tough, very slow gunship-type craft with three heavy lasers.

=Ships and Submarines=

Ships can only travel on water. They're fast, heavily armed, and can take absurd amounts of damage, but have very limited movement and turn slowly. Submarines travel under the water, can only be detected by sonar, and can only attack other units in or under the water. They're generally much weaker than surface vessels and have shorter-ranged weapons.

==Common Lvl 1==

===Skeeter/Searcher===

The naval equivallent of the Peewee/AK. Fast, but not very tough (as ships go). Carries a laser, for use against ground units, and a homing missile launcher, for use on aircraft. They're best used for raiding, but will die easily to most real combat ships.

===Decade/Supporter===

These light corvettes are intended as a screening force for larger ships. They're slow, have little health, and carry pair of short-ranged, weak cannons, but they're very cheap.

===Crusader/Enforcer===

The meat of a level 1 navy (and good support for a level 2 navy), these destroyers are very flexible ships. They're fast, tough, and useful in a variety of roles. They carry a medium-range indirect fire plasma cannon for use against surface ships and shore targets, a deck laser for use against anything that gets close, and a depth-charge launcher for use on submarines. They also have a short-range sonar.

===Lurker/Snake===

A basic submarine, the Lurker/Snake remains useful throughout the game. While slow and with little health, it has a long-range sonar and packs a powerful torpedo launcher that only works on units in the water. These units can devastate surface or amphibious forces that lack proper anti-submarine support.

===Hulk/Envy===

A basic transport unit, the Hulk/Envy can quickly deliver a mass of units to the enemy's shore. They're very tough, but also very slow.

==Common Lvl 2==

===Abel/Caine===

A medium-range bombardment ship, the Abel/Caine packs a rapid-fire, long-range, inaccurate plasma cannon intended for shelling land targets. They also carry a battery of veticaly launched missiles.

===Archer/Shredder===

Carrying both anti-aircraft missile launchers and flak cannon, even a few of these ships can very effectively protect a fleet of ships from airborne attackers.

===Millennium/Warlord===

Expensive, tough, and slow (for a ship), forces of Millenniums and Warlords will be the centrepieces of mid-to-late-game fleets. The Millennium has two turreted plasma batteries, with a high rate of fire, damage, and range. The Warlord replaces one plasma battery with a shorter-ranged and weaker but much more accurate heavy laser. These ships are fairly expensive, and very weak against submarines and aircraft, so don't build one unless you can defend it!

===Colossus/Hive===

A floating air repair pad, anti-nuke, radar, sonar, and miniature fusion reactor. Totally unarmed, so protect them well!

===Atlantis/Zulu===

A floating Big Bertha/Intimidator. The Zulu has a pair of VLRPCs, while the Atlantis drops one in exchange for an anti-aircraft missile launcher and lower price tag.

===Conqueror/Executioner===

The Conqueror and Executioner are significantly weaker than the Millennium or Warlord, but faster and cheaper. The Conqueror's main weapon is a long-range plasma cannon turret, while the Executioner carries a shorter-range but more accurate heavy laser. Both back up their primary weapons with a short-range deck laser, sonar, and depth-charge launcher.

===Valiant/Limiter===

A mine-layer submarine. Subject to the same limitations as the Podger/Spoiler.

===Ranger/Messenger===

A seaborne version of the Merl/Diplomat, with correspondingly increased range and damage. Useful for attacking enemy structures or stationary ships. Also sports a radar and anti-air missile launcher.

===Grim Reaper/Death Cavalry===

A resurrection submarine, capable of resurrecting dead units if their wreckage hasn't been reclaimed or taken too much damage.

===Escort/Phantom===

Radar jamming ships. Useful if your opponent doesn't have sonar, or in combination with a sonar-jamming unit.

===Pirannah/Shark===

Submarines designed for fighting other submarines. Weaker but much faster than the Lurker/Snake, their torpedoes home, are longer-range, and do significantly more damage - enough to destroy a Lurker/Snake in a single hit.

===Epoch/Black Hydra===

Basically a floating Krogoth/Orcone. Useful in the same circumstances. Well-protected against air and surface units, weak against submarines.

===Serpent/Leviathan===

Heavy submarines, with more health than the lighter submarines and much bigger weapons. Both have homing torpedoes. The Leviathan has slightly more range and damage, while the Serpent fires faster.

===Viking/Cronus===

Short-range artillery ships, with weak, inaccurate, rapid-fire plasma cannons. Intended for cheap bombardment of shore targets and floating structures.

==Arm Lvl 2==

===Fibber===

A sonar-jamming submarine.

==Core Lvl 2==

===Nautilus===

A sonar submarine.

=Hovercraft=

Hovercraft are tanks that can travel over land or water. They're generally more lightly armed and can take less damage than regular tanks, and are more expensive and take longer to build. They also can't compete with ships at surface combat on the open water. They are, however, excellent on "swampy" maps, with interspersed water and land.

==Common Lvl 1==

===Mausser/Navarone===

A hovercraft version of the Luger/Pillager, but with shorter range and less damage.

===Swatter/Slinger===

An anti-aircraft hovercraft. Carries a homing missile launcher that can only attack airborne targets.

===Anaconda/Snapper===

The hovercraft main battle tank. Both carry a medium-range plasma cannon. Can't stand up to proper tanks or ships, but is very good for quick attacks over small bodies of water.

===Wombat/Nixer===

A hovercraft with a vertical-launch artillery rocket. Very similar to the Merl/Diplomat, but with a shorter range, faster figher rate, and less damage.

===Skimmer/Scrubber===

A fast-moving scout hovercraft with a short-range laser. Useful for spotting for larger, tougher hovercraft.

===Bear/Turtle===

Transport hovercraft that can carry other units over both water and land. Medium speed, but very tough.

=Seaplanes=

Aircraft that can be built from a floating factory, and can take off and land from the water. (Though this is currently broken.) Like hovercraft, they're less cost-effective than regular aircraft, but can be vital on maps without enough land to support a proper airforce. Seaplane factories can only be built on the water by Advanced Construction Submarines and Aircraft

==Common Lvl 1==

===Seahawk/Hunter===

Recon seaplane. Quick and nimble but very weak. Totally unarmed, but carries both a sonar and radar. Very useful for spotting for naval forces.

===Tornado/Voodoo===

Basic fighter seaplane. Similar to the Hawk/Vamp, but not stealthy and with a less powerful air-to-air missile. Will generally lose to a Hawk/Vamp in a head-to-head fight, but counters most other aircraft.

===Albatross/Typhoon===

Basic naval attack seaplane, with an air-to-air guided missile launcher and a pair of powerful homing torpedo launchers. While it can protect itself against aircraft, it's not very good in a dogfight.

===Sabre/Cutlass===

Basic ground attack seaplane. Weaker than a Brawler/Rapier, but still effective. The Sabre has a fast-firing heavy laser, while the Cutlass has a slower-firing but more powerful riot cannon with a large area of effect.

===Tsunami/Malestrom===

Seaplane equivalent of the Phoenix/Hurricane. Uses the same bombs, but lacks the air-to-air missile launcher, and not quite as maneuverable. Effective in the same roles, and also possibly effective against slower ships.

Back to [[Absolute Annihilation]]

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