Spring - User contributions [en]

Expand and Exterminate/Units

2006-09-10T20:07:04Z

Egarwaen: Added medium ground units, ion cannon.

This page is a guide to the units in Expand and Exterminate. It is intended to give you some idea of what units are available, what they look like, and what they're good for.

==Commander==

As in most Spring mods, you start with a single Commander unit in EE. The Commander in EE is unarmed, but has a lot of HP and moves and builds very quickly. It is amphibious, so it can move into or across bodies of water to build shipyards, floating structures, or new bases.

----

==Weapons==

Weapons in EE are very standardized. Each side generally has a couple of "signature" weapons that many of their units use, combined with a few common or unique weapons. Understanding the weapon types will help you develop good force mixes, understand what your enemy's using against you, and quickly identify new units.

===URC Plasma===

The signature weapon of the URC, Plasma weapons look like a green beam. They're direct fire, so they cannot fire over units or terrain, and they have a slightly shorter range and lower damage than GD Cannons. They're still the best direct-fire weapon available to URC forces for unit-on-unit combat, and plasma units should form the bulk of most of your forces. Like all direct-fire weapons, their effectiveness increases significantly if they're lined up. (Click and drag when issuing a move order.)

===GD Cannon===

The signature weapon of GD's tank units, Cannons are slower-firing than Plasma, but longer range and higher damage. Cannon tanks will usually be the bulk of your battle force, and their effectiveness increases significantly when they're arranged in a line. (Click and drag when issuing a move order.)

===Rockets and Missiles===

Used by both GD and URC, rockets and missiles are practically identical. They have lower DPS than GD Cannon or URC Plasma weapons, but can fire over other units and have a larger area of effect. This makes them an excellent choice to support Cannon/Plasma units, as they can stay behind them and still engage the enemy, improving the group's overall damage.

===GD Lasers===

A specialist weapon used by some GD tanks, lasers have a shorter range than Cannons but a higher DPS. This makes them excellent at destroying buildings quickly, but poor at engaging enemy units.

===GD Ion Cannons===

Another specialist weapon used by some GD tanks. Ion Cannons can paralyze units for a short amount of time. Ion Cannon blasts pass through units, allowing them to paralyze several units in a clump at once.

===URC Flamethrowers/Cannons===

Like GD Lasers, URC Flamethrowers have a shorter range but higher damage. They, too, excel at demolitions, and can also be used as an anti-swarm weapon with cover from other units.

Medium and Heavy URC mechs carry cannons instead of flamethrowers. These weapons have little in common with GD Cannons and, like flamethrowers, are best suited for demolitions.

===Anti-aircraft Weapons===

Both the URC and GD use a wide variety of anti-aircraft weapons including SAMs and anti-air artillery. They are generally fast-firing and hard-hitting, capable of doing substantial damage to enemy aircraft. They are, however, totally useless against ground units.

===Artillery and Mortars===

Artillery and Mortars are high-trajectory support weapons. Inaccurate and slow-firing but long-ranged and powerful, they are best used to engage units and structures visible only on radar. They typically require considerable support from other ground units, as they cannot effectively engage close-in enemies.

===Torpedoes===

Torpedoes are useless against land units, but do significant damage to water units. Note that torpedoes fired by underwater units may not be able to effectively damage floating structures.

===Stealth and Cloaking===

There are two general ways to avoid detection in Spring: stealth and cloaking. Stealth is always on, and prevents a unit from being detected with radar. Cloaking costs energy to use, but prevents the unit from being detected visually unless it fires, you run out of energy, or the enemy gets too close.

----

==General Unit Types==

Like weapons, the capabilities of the types of units each faction can build are fairly standardized.

===Mechs===

The URC's main ground combat units are mechs. Heavier models walk on two legs, while lighter models and stealth models walk on four or six. URC mechs have a significant maneuverability advantage over other unit types, and are faster than tanks and capable of climbing much steeper hills. They pay for this with less HP and less powerful weapons.

===Tanks===

The favourite ground combat units of the GD. Tanks are slower and tougher than most other units, and mount heavier weapons. They cannot climb hills well, but rule on flat, open ground.

===Ships===

Used by both the URC and the GD, ships and submarines are limited to water. They generally move much faster and have much more HP and range than their land-based cousins.

===Aircraft===

Capable of flying high above any terrain, aircraft are fast and mobile, but have even less HP than mechs.

----

==Light Units==

Light units are faster and cheaper but weaker than their heavier cousins. They are your most flexible combat units, and will probably form the bulk of your forces throughout the game. You'll almost always want to have two or three factories spread throughout your territory producing Light units.

===Light Construction Units===

Light construction units can build everything the Commander can and a bit more. They can build their faction's special metal extractor, Medium Factory, and are amphibious.

===Scout Units===

A special unit that can only be built at the Light Unit Factory, proper use of Scout units is invaluable. While very weak and easy prey for any real combat unit, they're fast, cheap, and have a huge sight range. Each is capable of building a couple of simple but effective structures. The URC Scout Mech can build cloaked cameras and mines. The GD Scout Tank can build stealthy perimeter cameras and short-range radar. Mixing a couple scouts in with your combat units is a good idea, especially if you use them to build cameras, mines, and radar as you advance.

===Light URC Units===

The Light Mech factory can build mechs armed with Plasma, Rockets, Surface-to-Air Missiles, Flamethrowers, or Mortars and a stealthy, cloakable mech armed with Plasma. It can also build an ECM Mech, which is unarmed but carries a medium-range radar and a short-range jammer.

===Light GD Units===

The Light Vehicle Factory can build tanks armed with cannons, missiles, ion cannons, artillery, AA, and lasers. It can also build a "Radar Tank", which carries a smaller cannon than a normal battle tank but adds a medium-range radar.

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==Medium Units==

Medium Units are more powerful and tougher than Light Units, but correspondingly slower and more expensive. They need to be supported by Light Units to be effective, as otherwise they can be swarmed and overwhelmed. When used properly, they can provide an extra punch to an assault or defense force, allowing it to press through or turn back enemies it would otherwise have been annihilated by.

===Medium Construction Units===

Medium Construction Units are similar to their Lighter cousins, but have a slightly more specialized build menu. They can build a Heavy Factory, more sophisticated (and expensive) metal extractors and power generators, a geothermal plant, larger turrets, and longer-range radars. Unlike Light Construction Units, they are ''not'' amphibious.

===Medium URC Units===

The Medium Mech Factory can build two-legged mechs armed with Plasma, Rockets, URC Cannons, SAMs, and artillery. There's also a stealthy, amphibious version of the Plasma mech, which is slightly more expensive but just as combat-worthy. It can also build a stealthy, cloakable amphibious transport mech, a stealthy amphibious mech armed with torpedoes for anti-ship work, and a minelayer mech.

===Medium Stealth URC Units===

To help compensate for their lack of battle power, the URC gets a second factory that can produce stealth mechs. These mechs cannot be detected on radar and can cloak, which makes them excellent for surprise attacks. Stealth Mechs armed with Plasma, Rockets, SAMs, and Torpedoes are available, as well as a Stealth Mech with a radar-jamming ECM suite.

===Medium GD Units===

The Medium Tank Factory can build larger Medium Tanks armed with Cannons, Rockets, Lasers, Ion Cannons, Bombardment Artillery (rapid-fire), and Anti-Air Artillery. Amphibious versions of the cannon, rocket, and anti-air tanks are available. It can also build an ECM tank, which can jam enemy radar, a minelayer tank, and an amphibious tank armed with torpedoes for anti-ship work.

Expand and Exterminate/Units

2006-08-28T19:30:17Z

Egarwaen: Added unit types, light units sections.

This page is a guide to the units in Expand and Exterminate. It is intended to give you some idea of what units are available, what they look like, and what they're good for.

==Commander==

As in most Spring mods, you start with a single Commander unit in EE. The Commander in EE is unarmed, but has a lot of HP and moves and builds very quickly. It is amphibious, so it can move into or across bodies of water to build shipyards, floating structures, or new bases.

----

==Weapons==

Weapons in EE are very standardized. Each side generally has a couple of "signature" weapons that many of their units use, combined with a few common or unique weapons. Understanding the weapon types will help you develop good force mixes, understand what your enemy's using against you, and quickly identify new units.

===URC Plasma===

The signature weapon of the URC, Plasma weapons look like a green beam. They're direct fire, so they cannot fire over units or terrain, and they have a slightly shorter range and lower damage than GD Cannons. They're still the best direct-fire weapon available to URC forces for unit-on-unit combat, and plasma units should form the bulk of most of your forces. Like all direct-fire weapons, their effectiveness increases significantly if they're lined up. (Click and drag when issuing a move order.)

===GD Cannon===

The signature weapon of GD's tank units, Cannons are slower-firing than Plasma, but longer range and higher damage. Cannon tanks will usually be the bulk of your battle force, and their effectiveness increases significantly when they're arranged in a line. (Click and drag when issuing a move order.)

===Rockets and Missiles===

Used by both GD and URC, rockets and missiles are practically identical. They have lower DPS than GD Cannon or URC Plasma weapons, but can fire over other units and have a larger area of effect. This makes them an excellent choice to support Cannon/Plasma units, as they can stay behind them and still engage the enemy, improving the group's overall damage.

===GD Lasers===

A specialist weapon used by some GD tanks, lasers have a shorter range than Cannons but a higher DPS. This makes them excellent at destroying buildings quickly, but poor at engaging enemy units.

===URC Flamethrowers/Cannons===

Like GD Lasers, URC Flamethrowers have a shorter range but higher damage. They, too, excel at demolitions, and can also be used as an anti-swarm weapon with cover from other units.

Medium and Heavy URC mechs carry cannons instead of flamethrowers. These weapons have little in common with GD Cannons and, like flamethrowers, are best suited for demolitions.

===Anti-aircraft Weapons===

Both the URC and GD use a wide variety of anti-aircraft weapons. They are generally fast-firing and hard-hitting, capable of doing substantial damage to enemy aircraft. They are, however, totally useless against ground units.

===Artillery and Mortars===

Artillery and Mortars are high-trajectory support weapons. Inaccurate and slow-firing but long-ranged and powerful, they are best used to engage units and structures visible only on radar. They typically require considerable support from other ground units, as they cannot effectively engage close-in enemies.

===Torpedoes===

Torpedoes are useless against land units, but do significant damage to water units. Note that torpedoes fired by underwater units may not be able to effectively damage floating structures.

===Stealth and Cloaking===

There are two general ways to avoid detection in Spring: stealth and cloaking. Stealth is always on, and prevents a unit from being detected with radar. Cloaking costs energy to use, but prevents the unit from being detected visually unless it fires, you run out of energy, or the enemy gets too close.

----

==General Unit Types==

Like weapons, the capabilities of the types of units each faction can build are fairly standardized.

===Mechs===

The URC's main ground combat units are mechs. Heavier models walk on two legs, while lighter models and stealth models walk on four or six. URC mechs have a significant maneuverability advantage over other unit types, and are faster than tanks and capable of climbing much steeper hills. They pay for this with less HP and less powerful weapons.

===Tanks===

The favourite ground combat units of the GD. Tanks are slower and tougher than most other units, and mount heavier weapons. They cannot climb hills well, but rule on flat, open ground.

===Ships===

Used by both the URC and the GD, ships and submarines are limited to water. They generally move much faster and have much more HP and range than their land-based cousins.

===Aircraft===

Capable of flying high above any terrain, aircraft are fast and mobile, but have even less HP than mechs.

----

==Light Units==

Light units are faster and cheaper but weaker than their heavier cousins. They are your most flexible combat units, and will probably form the bulk of your forces throughout the game. You'll almost always want to have two or three factories spread throughout your territory producing Light units.

===Light Construction Units===

Light construction units can build everything the Commander can and a bit more. They can build their faction's special metal extractor, and are amphibious.

===Scout Units===

A special unit that can only be built at the Light Unit Factory, proper use of Scout units is invaluable. While very weak and easy prey for any real combat unit, they're fast, cheap, and have a huge sight range. Each is capable of building a couple of simple but effective structures. The URC Scout Mech can build cloaked cameras and mines. The GD Scout Tank can build stealthy perimeter cameras and short-range radar. Mixing a couple scouts in with your combat units is a good idea, especially if you use them to build cameras, mines, and radar as you advance.

===Light URC Units===

The Light Mech factory can build mechs armed with Plasma, Rockets, Surface-to-Air Missiles, Flamethrowers, or Mortars and a stealthy, cloakable mech armed with Plasma. It can also build an ECM Mech, which is unarmed but carries a medium-range radar and a short-range jammer.

===Light GD Units===

The Light Vehicle Factory can build tanks armed with cannons, missiles, ion cannons, artillery, AA, and lasers. It can also build a "Radar Tank", which carries a smaller cannon than a normal battle tank but adds a medium-range radar.

Expand and Exterminate/Units

2006-08-28T19:06:15Z

Egarwaen: Weapons write-up.

Absolute Annihilation/Units

2006-08-23T17:11:14Z

Egarwaen: /* Shellshocker/Wolverine */ Added notes about defences.

This is the Practical AA Guide. It has information such as ways to best use units, and things to avoid. To answer more technical questions, such as exactly how much damage per second a weapon is capable of, or precise build costs of a particular unit, you may want to visit the [http://ta-aa.sourceforge.net/modweb Technical AA Guide].

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 in the first few minutes of the game, and destroys any reclaimable wreckage. His laser should be more than enough against small groups of raiders. Whatever you do, '''do not''' D-Gun your own structures or units unless it's that or lose the game.

The Commander has a small but constant auto-repair, which makes him better able to handle fire from raiders and sporadic artillery hits. Note that the Commander takes extra damage from stationary defences and that these defences will usually prioritize him due to his high cost.

==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 Resource Structures===

====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 Collector====

More expensive than a [[#Wind Generator|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 Metal Maker consumes 100e and produces 1m. When building metal makers, always use the [[Metal Maker AI]].

There are also floating versions of this structure, these ae somhat more efficient, consuming 90e and producing 1m.

====Advanced Solar Collector====

The Advanced Solar Generator produces about four times as much energy (75 per tick) as a regular [[#Solar Collector|Solar Collector]], but costs correspondingly more metal and significantly more energy. Their advantage over regular Solar Collectors is that they have a smaller footprint (4x4 instead of 5x5). They cannot close into a more armored form, but they do have more health.

====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.

Geothermal powerplants, much like the level 2 Moho Geothermal Powerplants, have a nasty explosion. Be careful what you build around them since they will be a prime target of opportunity.

Absolute Annihilation gives Arm increased output from geothermal powerplants.

====Energy/Metal Storage====

As the name indicates, these structures provide you with additional energy and metal storage. Since all resource structures in AA come with some 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 usually be using up your metal as fast as you can without stalling. ''However'' if you're reclaiming a lot of things, especially any [[#Commander|Commander]] wreckage laying about, you'll need these in order to make sure you receive all your metal.

===Arm Level 1 Resource Structures===

====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 necessary. Watch out for this when killing them if the enemy has some units nearby, as paralyzed units are easy prey.

===Core Level 1 Resource Structures===

====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 Resource Structures===

====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. Unlike Moho Mines in [[XTA]], they only cost 25 energy to operate. 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.

Absolute Annihilation gives Core slightly better energy output on their fusion plants.

====Moho Metal Maker====

A bigger, better metal maker. Takes much more energy to operate, but produces much more metal, and does so more efficently. 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, wich is the most efficent energy to metal convertor of all.

====Metal Generator====

A structure that provides a steady input of 1m at no cost other than initial construction. 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.

Absolute Annihilation gives Arm a hefty boost to their output from Moho Geothermal Powerplants.

====Advanced Fusion Reactor====

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

Absolute Annihilation gives Core a hefty boost to their Advanced Fusion Reactor's energy output. However, this is somewhat offset by the greater cost a Core player must pay if he or she wants to cloak their reactor.

===Arm Level 2 Resource Structures===

====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. Also, keep in mind that it is has more health than any other powerplant short of the mohofusion, so it can provide a nearly invincible component to your economy.

===Core Level 2 Resource Structures===

====Moho 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. Behemoths have the longest range of any turret except for LRPC/RFLRPCs.

==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. Units firing on radar dots can gain better accuracy if a player or one of his allies builds a radar targeting facility. 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 by either side. Yes, this means that you can't use radar to detect enemy units inside the area of effect of one of your jammers! 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.

In the late game, as more and more of the map gets covered by radar jammers, Dragon's Eyes become one of the most effective ways to keep track of your enemy's activities. They're virtually undectable once built and can't be fooled by radar jamming or stealth, though they still can't see cloaked units.

===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 [[#Bulldog|Bulldogs]] or [[#Goliath|Goliaths]], can drive over Dragon's Teeth, destroying them in the process.

Commanders and construction planes have a speed advantage in building these, as construction bots and vehicles do a small animation whenver they start or finish constructing something. This slows them down significantly on such cheap structures.

These can be used in lines to block an enemy advance. This is useful to prevent fast raiding units from simply rushing past your defences to attack key buildings in the back of your base. They can also be used in small lines or squares surrounding a defensive structure such as a [[#Sentinel/Gaat_Gun_Heavy_Laser_Tower|heavy laser tower]]. This can provide some protection from small units with direct fire weapons such as the [[#Flash/Instigator|Flash tank]].

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

One interesting use of Dragon's Teeth is terrain modification. DTs have a substantially higher "slope tolerance" (the maximum slope they can be built on) than most structures. They can be reclaimed to recover much of the metal that went into their construction. This makes them excellent for "clearing terrain" for building other structures. Just build a single DT or a small block of them, reclaim them, and build on the now-flattened land! This is great for putting up LLTs on hills, but can also be used to place Guardians/Punishers in unexpected locations. (Tip from Felix the Cat)

===Level 1 Defensive Structures===

====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 abbreviated as "LLT". They're good for covering mostly-blocked approaches to your base (like hills), as they can kill most light raiding forces.

A good way to defend against early to mid-game attacks is to build 3 LLTs in a loose cluster at the top of any hills or in choke points. Then build a couple of radar towers behind them to help spot enemies.

Throughout any game, even to the end, LLTs should be built in key areas of your base. They will come in handy in case an enemy slips through your outer perimeter.

====Beamer/Heavy Light Laser Turret (HLLT)====

Designed as a more permanent defensive structure for highly valuable inner-base areas as well as mid-game frontline duty. Beamers shoot a constant beam (get it? eh? eh?) which causes steady damage. This makes it ideal for dealing with attacks from both heavier units like Hammers/Thuds or much lighter units like Fleas, where it can instantly move on to the next target when the first one is destroyed, rather than waiting for a lengthy cool-down period. Probably the most useful function of a beamer is that it slightly outranges an LLT, making it ideal for front-line construction wars. While a Core player must use an HLT to outrange his enemy's LLTs, the Arm player can drop in a Beamer much more quickly that will outrange and destroy the enemy LLTs.

The HLLT, on the other hand, is pretty much just a beefed up LLT. It has two turrets, allowing it to target two enemies simultaneously or concentrate on a single one. They have more than their fair share of hit points.

====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.

====Packo/SAM Anti-air Turret====

These are much more durable than standard missile towers and fire homing missiles quite rapidly. They are good at taking out large number of lighter planes quickly, making them a very effective fighter swarm counter. They will struggle to kill level 2 gunships and bombers unless used in large numbers, making flak cannons and level 2 missile towers a better choice against these units. The Packo can retract into a shielded underground state, largely protecting it from ground attack. The SAM just has more hitpoints.

====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.''

Besides Mercury/Screamer towers, these are the longest-range anti-air units you can build.

These buildings do extra damage against bombers.

====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.

Keep in mind that the HLT has very poor rate-of-fire, so a swarm of fast, light units can easily rush through an HLT-defended line. Because of this it is important to always mix your defenses and include smaller defensive structures.

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 trajectory", which causes it to fire more damaging but highly inaccurate shells with a large area of effect in a high arc, or "Low trajectory", which causes more direct, more accurate, but less powerful shells to be fired. "High trajectory" should be preferred for bombardment, while "Low trajectory" should be used during defensive action unless targetting extremely-slow units. "High trajectory" will lead the target, so attacks of fast units can trick the Guardian into leading so far that it will fire into your own base.

Note that this defense does '''double damage vs. naval units'''. As such, it is a critical resource in mixed land-water maps. "Low trajectory" should be preferred when attacking aquatic targets.

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.

These do extra damage against amphibious units, and are therefore a good choice for defending a shoreline against a "fully submerged" opponent.

====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.

====Dargon's Claw/Dragon's Maw====

These are stealthy defensive structures (really stationary units) that can disguise themselves as Dragon's Teeth. When disguised, they can take significant amounts of damage, just like any "pop-up" weapon. If an enemy wanders into range, they'll reveal themselves and attack with a short-ranged lightning cannon (Arm) or flamethrower (Core). When destroyed, they leave behind ordinary Dragon's Teeth.

===Level 2 Defensive Structures===

====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 or nuclear weapons.

Currently does '''triple damage to naval units''' so it should be preferred over the L1 plasma cannons in naval maps.

====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 totally under water, and so can only be targeted 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 must be constructed before launch) all the way across any map, each of which can destroy a substantial portion of an enemy base. Very few things (such as specialized structures that are in an armoured state by default) can survive a nuke blast, though the missiles can be easily intercepted by Protectors/Fortitudes.

====Juno====

The Juno is a much more limited ballistic 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 sheild that stops all manner of plasma weapons, gauss shells, and EMG fire, but it 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.

The sheild needs to be charged to stop shells, you can determine it's level of charge by how the sheild appears, a barely visible sheild has no or very low charge whereas a bright white sheild is fully charged. The sheild consumes energy to charge.

The sheild can hold it's onw for quite a while against VLRPCs, bur RFVLRPCS can bring them down near instantly.

====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. A cluster of these structures packed into a chokepoint or lined up in front of some Annihilators/Doomsday Machines can do quite a lot of damage. When not in use, they fold away into a concrete bunker, making them effectively immune to long-range artillery and even nuke strikes.

===Arm Level 2 Defensive Structures===

====Detonator====

The Detonator fires ballistic EMP missiles that paralyze units caught inside the blast. Their projectiles cannot be intercepted, making them very good at "preparing" enemy defensive structures or units for an attack. Like nukes and anti-nukes, the Detonator must build each shot before it can be used.

===Core Level 2 Defensive Structures===

====Inferno====

Wide-arc flamethrower. Good against swarms or for use in conjunction with several other Infernos against bigger units, or simply as one more extra support turret in a massively fortified front line.

====Catalyst====

A short-range tactical nuke launcher. The Catalyst's ballistic missile cannot be intercepted by anti-nukes but do significantly less damage than full-sized nukes. This makes them poor at destroying bases, but very good at softening up an enemy defensive line before an attack.

==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 KBots===

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====

Slightly 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 have a long range but 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 are shorter-ranged than Rocko/Storm rockets, but can 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. They're generally useless when compared to other forms of anti-air, so should only be used if you have no other option for mobile anti-air. Otherwise, prefer the static structures, or fighters, or flak tanks.

===Arm Lvl 1 KBots===

====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 an excellent defensive unit, as it has a lot of health and powerful weapons. While slow-building and expensive for a L1 KBot, a Warrior is almost the equal of a Zeus, and a small force backed up by other L1 KBots can be an excellent assault force.

====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 KBots===

The Core has no unique Level 1 KBots.

===Common Lvl 2 KBots===

====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-conceived 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 reanimated corpses of the enemy's attack force into your service to supplement 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 useful for getting past an enemy's defences.

Take note that they are extremely small targets moving at a substantial speed so most non-beam-weapons will miss them.

===Arm Lvl 2 KBots===

====Fido====

A very average level 2 KBot. Weaker than a [[#Zeus|Zeus]] or [[#Maverick|Maverick]] but faster and cheaper. Versatile but not particularly good at any one thing. The Fido has two fire modes, which can be toggled by switching its "Active State" between "On" and "Off". The default uses a long-range, slow-firing direct-fire gauss cannon. It's fairly accurate but relatively low-damage. The "Ballistic Cannon" mode fires a less-accurate shell that travels in a higher, ballistic arc, allowing it to fire over other units, Dragon's Teeth, and hills.

====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. Average durability and speed for an L2 unit, but capable of doing impressive damage. It destroys L1 units and light defences with ease. The Maverick also auto-repairs in combat and has a longer visual range than most units, making one or two good "spotters" for a unit of other KBots.

====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, provided you have something to soak up enemy fire while the Sharpshooters do their work.

====Recluse====

A spider KBot that can climb up almost anything. Can cause nightmares for unprepared opponents 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.

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. Even on open ground, the paralyzer weapon makes it an excellent unit to mix in with an assault force, as a couple of shots can take an enemy unit out of the battle for a few seconds, and will probably focus all the enemy's fire on the Spider.

====Scarab====

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.

===Core Lvl 2 KBots===

====Pyro====

Core's level 2 [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/wiki/Swarming swarm]/assault unit unit. Halfway between a Zipper and a Zeus in toughness and speed. 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. Generally, you'll want to back these up with Cans.

====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. Longer weapon range and more power, as well as a much faster fire rate. 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. Good at countering light Level 3 KBots. Like the Can, it has a combat auto-repair.

====Morty====

A support KBot with a very big gun. Has a long range and fires fast, 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 torpedoes 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 or Raiders near the front lines to reinforce your assault force can be very effective!

====Dominator====

Another artillery support KBot, the Dominator fires vertically-launched rockets. These are only slightly longer-ranged 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, but it can cloak too. Combined with radar jamming, a Skuttle can blast an impressive hole in even the toughest defences.

====Leejen====

A light and fast but totally unarmed scout KBot. Cheap unit, good for scouting ahead of a force for things like stealth units, mines, and enemy defences. Has a very short-ranged radar for spotting cloaked units, etc.

===Common Lvl 3 KBots===

====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 Annihilators/Doomsday Machines, 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, or a few Sumos, though it can outrun the Sumos.

====Marauder====

A medium amphibious assault unit. Very fast moving on land, and can be 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 bypass enemy defences.

====Aegis====

A mobile EMP ballistic missile 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 KBots===

====Krogoth====

An [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/wiki/Uberweapon Uberweapon]. Costs absurd amounts of resources. Slightly more powerful and tougher than the Orcone, and features a shotgun-style blaster which is ideal for concentrated fire on a single heavy target or spread fire over a swarm of lesser units.

====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 vulnerable 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. Juggernauts have a lot of hit points, so they can also be used as a sort of "rolling front line". Should ideally have a group of support construction units for when its job is done and it's lost a lot of health.

====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. In groups of three or more, these can tear apart an enemy base in as little as 60 seconds. They should be guarded well by units such as Sumos, Cans, and Karganeths.

==Vehicles==

Vehicles use wheels or tracks to move. They're generaly fast, 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 Vehicles===

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 equivalent 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.

====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 equivalent 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. These are excellent assault units, as they outrange LLTs by a wide margin and HLTs by a significant but slim-er margin. If he wants to kill them, your enemy will have to deploy mobile units outside his defences or invest in a Guardian/Punisher.

====Podger/Spoiler====

This unit both lays and clears mines. Although powerful, mines require fair 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 (to their peril).

===Arm Lvl 1 Vehicles===

====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 Vehicles===

====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 Vehicles===

====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 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. They are slower than other forms of mobile artillery but tougher, making them good at assaulting enemy defensive structures.

====Triton/Croc====

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. The usual limitations of amphibious units apply.

====Bulldog/Reaper====

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

===Arm Lvl 2 Vehicles===

====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, especially once L3 units start rolling out. 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 and Zeus. These can be used to construct front-line reinforcements or even, with the help of jammers, construct an entire attack force for use against an unwary opponent.

===Core Lvl 2 Vehicles===

====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. While expensive, a force of goliaths can do very impressive damage and can be very difficult to stop, especially since it auto-repairs even during combat. 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.

====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. Its shots have a fairly large scatter, making them great at wiping out clustered defences or resource buildings.

====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.

==Aircraft==

Aircraft are airborne combat units. They're fast, can cross any terrain, but can take very little damage. Most aircraft are specialized, and designed for a specific task. Against units not built specifically to counter them, aircraft are very effective. Against anti-air units, they are at a significant disadvantage. Generally air units are not a base busting assault weapon, but anyone who assumes that they are useless will play at a significant disadvantage. Aircraft can be put to several uses, even in the late game:

Scouting: You've built a [[#Big Bertha/Intimidator|VLRPC]] (or ten). The sounds of each successive shell exploding in your enemy's base is slowly ratcheting up the pressure. But how do you know whether the pride of your army is destroying important enemy buildings, or killing peewees and solar collectors? Build some airplanes and have a look. You can then aim your Big Bertha at a worthy target. If your enemies build LRPCs, but only one player builds planes, guess who will find and destroy the opposing LRPCs first?

A few light aircraft can also be a great investment ahead of a ground attack. You can spot holes in the defence to aim for or unexpected resistance to retreat from before taking losses. They can provide line of sight for long range artillery to start pounding opposing defences. And what is that blob of units coming towards you on the radar? A plane can tell you if its 20 peewees or 20 goliaths. Any empty space on the map? Send a plane to scout at random intervals; you might find and prevent an opponent preparing a nasty surprise under cover of a radar jammer.

In general terms, scout aircraft are invaluable, as they're a very reliable mechanism for gathering precise information about the battlefield, even through heavy radar jamming and enemy fire.

Overwhelming: Focus efforts on building a large devestating force of bombers or gunships. With enough effort or against an unsuspecting victim, you may create a large enough air attack to devestate a base with insufficient anti-air defence. If your opponent ''does'' build enough anti-air defences, the setback to your economy from this effort will be serious.

Defence: An often overlooked aspect of aircraft is their use for base defence. They have the advantage of being able to intercept an attack from any direction quickly. If the attack force does not include a significant anti air componenent, your planes can attack while taking very little damage in return. [[#Hawk/Vamp|Hawks/Vamps]] are particularly good at this, and while they're unlikely to do fatal damage to ground units, they're excellent at intercepting and destroying enemy airstrikes. Level 2 bombers and gunships can provide a more adiquate dfence against ground assaults. A few Arm Stilletos, for instance, can provide an effective defence against nearly any attack.

Strategic strikes: Sometimes your opponent has a key building you badly want to destroy. It might be a [[#Retaliator/Silencer|nuclear silo]], [[#Protector/Fortitude|nuclear defence]], or a [[#Vulcan/Buzzsaw|rapid fire LRPC]]. Perhaps a [[#Moho Geothermal Powerplant|moho geothermal]], or [[#Advanced Fusion Reactor|advanced fusion]] that could take half the base with it if you can kill it. Or a [[#Commander|Commander]]. A determined bombing assault can often do the trick. Air has an unequaled ability to rapidly move and concentrate force to attack a key location. Just make sure the target is worth the effort, as in most games the planes that will get destroyed by anti-air in such a strike will represent a significant investment of resources. You'll need to use ground forces to capitalize on the strike.

All aircraft have a limited-range sonar, allowing them to see submerged units immediately under them. Aircraft generally cost larger amounts of energy, and lower amounts of metal when compared with other units. This can energy stall an unprepared player who tries to build an air force too early in the game. Aircraft also take a long time to build. Building an Air Factory as your first factory is a high-risk move guaranteed to slow down economic expansion drastrically.

===Common Lvl 1 Aircraft===

====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. Carries flares to reduce the effectiveness of guided AA weapons. They're best used as scouts, to spot targets for long-range artillery or attack forces. As they're cheap, fast, airborne, carry radar, and have a good sight range, Peepers and Finks are among the best scouts in the game. It's almost always worth building an L1 Aircraft Plant even if you only use it for building these.

====Freedom Fighter/Avenger====

A basic fighter aircraft. Fast and maneuverable, but can't take much damage. Carries a homing missile that can attack ground or air targets. Although they're not specifically designed for it, a group of 20-30 of these can be quickly and cheaply built in the late game to harass enemy units to great effect. Great against level 1 aircraft, and useful against level 2 aircraft and ground units if built in a large enough swarm. They are also extremely effective against gunships of all kinds.

An effective tactic can be to slowly assemble a group of these and then use them to raid your enemy's resources; from then on, he'll be forced to build extensive anti-air even if you don't plan on ever using air again. If your enemy is spending half his resources to defend against an attack that's not coming....

====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, but if you can find an opening in the enemy's anti-aircraft defences, a quick raid with air transports could exploit it very effectively. Even against moderate AA, a swarm of Atlases (20-ish) will often be able to drop off at least a few units behind enemy lines before they die.

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 Aircraft===

====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 damage, 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 vulnerable to flak.

As with all gunships, banshees take slightly (~20%) reduced damage from missiles compared to other types of aircraft.

===Core Lvl 1 Aircraft===

====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 paralysing serious threats. It can hover, allowing it to attack slow-moving or stationary ground units very effectively but making it vulnerable to flak.

Many Core players have gone on the record to say that the only reason they like Core so much is the Bladewing. With its ability to temporarily remove any one unit from a fight, you can effectively take the wind out of your enemy's sails if that one unit is, for instance, a Bantha.

Be aware that superweapons and Commanders are nigh-invulnerable to paralyzer weapons. Concentrated fire may temporarily stun them, but they'll be back in action practically the instant you stop firing.

===Common Lvl 2 Aircraft===

====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 AA in general and flak in particular. Before the enemy has significant flak defences, Brawlers and Rapiers are viable for assaults. After that point, they're best used to raid areas of the enemy base lacking flak for whatever reason, or harass assault forces that have insufficient AA cover. These are also fairly supicable to fighters, especialy when traveling to or from a target.

Be aware that Brawlers and Rapiers do significant damage to other gunships in the area when they explode. This means that, beyond about 15-20 gunships, additional gunships won't actually contribute much to a swarm's effectiveness. If you do find yourself with more than this, split them up into multiple groups.

====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, regardless of what it is. 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.

As advanced missile towers and flak get built, the ability of Phoenixes and Hurricanes to hit targets anywhere in a base diminishes. They remain useful for striking targets near the edge, and can be good for softening up a defence line or breaking a hole in it before an attack, but typically need to withdraw (or will be destroyed) after one or two passes.

Because of their bomb scattering attribute, a group of even 5+ Phoenix or Hurricanes can be used to quickly massacre even a moderately fast-moving attack group if it isn't protected by a strong anti-air presence.

====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, gunships, and level 1 fighters. Not so good offensively, though, as they suck at attacking ground targets. They're good at intercepting enemy airstrikes and providing AA defence for the skies over your base or contested territory.

Note that stealth fighters are excellent AA cover for ground assault forces. Because they're stealthy, they can't be picked up on radar and destroyed by [[#Mercury/Screamer|Mercuries/Screamers]] until they actually engage the enemy. By that time, it's usually too late. You will probably lose all of your Hawks/Vamps, but your enemy's air-swarm will also be dead.

====Eagle/Vulture====

A more sophisticated recon plane. Has a longer radar range and carries a real sonar. Information about your enemy's activities is vital for both attack and defence, and the Eagle/Vulture can tell you a lot. Since they're more expensive than the Peeper/Fink, they're less expendable, making them less useful for quick scouting once AA is deployed. Carry flares to improve their survivability against guided missiles.

===Arm Lvl 2 Aircraft===

====Blade====

A gunship with even more armor and an even bigger weapon. They're tough and reasonably fast, making them good support for your assault forces or base defenses once the enemy deploys flak cannons. Hawks/Vamps, Mercuries/Screamers, and Freedom Fighters/Avengers still work well against them.

Because of a Blade's heavy armor, they take only 50% damage from flak guns, in addition to the standard 20% damage reduction for missile attacks on gunships. In short, they're Arm's ultimate high-flying badasses. Like other gunships, they still "chain-explode", making large packs much easier to kill.

====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 Hawks/Vamps and Freedom Fighters/Avengers, 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, or greater amounts of smaller units. Unlike level 1 transports these can be used in an assault role providiing enemy AA isn't incredibly strong. The ability to drop several units into an enemy base is not to be underestimated.

====Stilleto====

A stealthy bomber whose weapon paralyzes targets caught in the blast. Good for softening up a defence line or assault force. These units are highly resiliant against anti-aircraft fire, with a relativley high amount of hitpoints, radar invisibility, and flares to deflect missiles. On the offensive it can be used to disable enemy AA or ground turrets, allowing you to move in a more damaging force. On defence it can disable large amounts of small units, or even the large mechs which have no defence against such aircraft.

===Core Lvl 2 Aircraft===

====Seahook====

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

====Krow====

Flying instagib. With its three heavy, rapid-firing lasers, it will kill anything that isn't protected by heavy AA. Krows are not actually flak-resistant. They simply have a ''lot'' of HP.

==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 Ships and Subs===

====Skeeter/Searcher====

The naval equivalent 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. They are also useful as anti-air for early attacks, before you can get/need the standard AA ships ([[#Archer/Shredder|Archer/Shredder]]).

====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 Ships and Subs===

====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 much more accurate heavy laser. These ships can dominate enemy fleets but are expensive and very weak against submarines and aircraft. 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 sea-borne 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.

==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 Hovercraft===

====Mausser/Navarone====

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

====Swatter/Slinger====

An anti-air 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. Neither can stand up to proper tanks or ships, but they're very good for quick attacks over small bodies of water.

====Wombat/Nixer====

A hovercraft with a vertically-launched artillery rocket. Very similar to the Merl/Diplomat, but with a shorter range, faster fire rate, and lower 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.) These effectively form the tier 3 of aircraft. While the ranks of seaplanes do not include units like Krows or Krogoths, they are far more cost effective, more powerful, generally nimbler, faster, and so on. Seaplane factories can only be built on the water by Advanced Construction Submarines and Aircraft

===Common Lvl 1 Seaplanes===

====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. Carries flares to help protect it against guided missiles.

====Tornado/Voodoo====

Basic fighter seaplane. Similar to the Hawk/Vamp, but not stealthy and with a less powerful air-to-air missile. Although they will generally lose to a Hawk/Vamp in a head-to-head fight, they are far less expensive and faster to build.

====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. About the same general power level as a Brawler/Rapier, but slightly more cost-effective, quick, and nimble. 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/Maelstrom====

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

2006-08-23T16:58:08Z

Egarwaen: /* Warrior */ Updated badly out-of-date blurbage.

This is the Practical AA Guide. It has information such as ways to best use units, and things to avoid. To answer more technical questions, such as exactly how much damage per second a weapon is capable of, or precise build costs of a particular unit, you may want to visit the [http://ta-aa.sourceforge.net/modweb Technical AA Guide].

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 in the first few minutes of the game, and destroys any reclaimable wreckage. His laser should be more than enough against small groups of raiders. Whatever you do, '''do not''' D-Gun your own structures or units unless it's that or lose the game.

The Commander has a small but constant auto-repair, which makes him better able to handle fire from raiders and sporadic artillery hits. Note that the Commander takes extra damage from stationary defences and that these defences will usually prioritize him due to his high cost.

==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 Resource Structures===

====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 Collector====

More expensive than a [[#Wind Generator|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 Metal Maker consumes 100e and produces 1m. When building metal makers, always use the [[Metal Maker AI]].

There are also floating versions of this structure, these ae somhat more efficient, consuming 90e and producing 1m.

====Advanced Solar Collector====

The Advanced Solar Generator produces about four times as much energy (75 per tick) as a regular [[#Solar Collector|Solar Collector]], but costs correspondingly more metal and significantly more energy. Their advantage over regular Solar Collectors is that they have a smaller footprint (4x4 instead of 5x5). They cannot close into a more armored form, but they do have more health.

====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.

Geothermal powerplants, much like the level 2 Moho Geothermal Powerplants, have a nasty explosion. Be careful what you build around them since they will be a prime target of opportunity.

Absolute Annihilation gives Arm increased output from geothermal powerplants.

====Energy/Metal Storage====

As the name indicates, these structures provide you with additional energy and metal storage. Since all resource structures in AA come with some 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 usually be using up your metal as fast as you can without stalling. ''However'' if you're reclaiming a lot of things, especially any [[#Commander|Commander]] wreckage laying about, you'll need these in order to make sure you receive all your metal.

===Arm Level 1 Resource Structures===

====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 necessary. Watch out for this when killing them if the enemy has some units nearby, as paralyzed units are easy prey.

===Core Level 1 Resource Structures===

====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 Resource Structures===

====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. Unlike Moho Mines in [[XTA]], they only cost 25 energy to operate. 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.

Absolute Annihilation gives Core slightly better energy output on their fusion plants.

====Moho Metal Maker====

A bigger, better metal maker. Takes much more energy to operate, but produces much more metal, and does so more efficently. 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, wich is the most efficent energy to metal convertor of all.

====Metal Generator====

A structure that provides a steady input of 1m at no cost other than initial construction. 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.

Absolute Annihilation gives Arm a hefty boost to their output from Moho Geothermal Powerplants.

====Advanced Fusion Reactor====

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

Absolute Annihilation gives Core a hefty boost to their Advanced Fusion Reactor's energy output. However, this is somewhat offset by the greater cost a Core player must pay if he or she wants to cloak their reactor.

===Arm Level 2 Resource Structures===

====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. Also, keep in mind that it is has more health than any other powerplant short of the mohofusion, so it can provide a nearly invincible component to your economy.

===Core Level 2 Resource Structures===

====Moho 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. Behemoths have the longest range of any turret except for LRPC/RFLRPCs.

==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. Units firing on radar dots can gain better accuracy if a player or one of his allies builds a radar targeting facility. 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 by either side. Yes, this means that you can't use radar to detect enemy units inside the area of effect of one of your jammers! 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.

In the late game, as more and more of the map gets covered by radar jammers, Dragon's Eyes become one of the most effective ways to keep track of your enemy's activities. They're virtually undectable once built and can't be fooled by radar jamming or stealth, though they still can't see cloaked units.

===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 [[#Bulldog|Bulldogs]] or [[#Goliath|Goliaths]], can drive over Dragon's Teeth, destroying them in the process.

Commanders and construction planes have a speed advantage in building these, as construction bots and vehicles do a small animation whenver they start or finish constructing something. This slows them down significantly on such cheap structures.

These can be used in lines to block an enemy advance. This is useful to prevent fast raiding units from simply rushing past your defences to attack key buildings in the back of your base. They can also be used in small lines or squares surrounding a defensive structure such as a [[#Sentinel/Gaat_Gun_Heavy_Laser_Tower|heavy laser tower]]. This can provide some protection from small units with direct fire weapons such as the [[#Flash/Instigator|Flash tank]].

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

One interesting use of Dragon's Teeth is terrain modification. DTs have a substantially higher "slope tolerance" (the maximum slope they can be built on) than most structures. They can be reclaimed to recover much of the metal that went into their construction. This makes them excellent for "clearing terrain" for building other structures. Just build a single DT or a small block of them, reclaim them, and build on the now-flattened land! This is great for putting up LLTs on hills, but can also be used to place Guardians/Punishers in unexpected locations. (Tip from Felix the Cat)

===Level 1 Defensive Structures===

====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 abbreviated as "LLT". They're good for covering mostly-blocked approaches to your base (like hills), as they can kill most light raiding forces.

A good way to defend against early to mid-game attacks is to build 3 LLTs in a loose cluster at the top of any hills or in choke points. Then build a couple of radar towers behind them to help spot enemies.

Throughout any game, even to the end, LLTs should be built in key areas of your base. They will come in handy in case an enemy slips through your outer perimeter.

====Beamer/Heavy Light Laser Turret (HLLT)====

Designed as a more permanent defensive structure for highly valuable inner-base areas as well as mid-game frontline duty. Beamers shoot a constant beam (get it? eh? eh?) which causes steady damage. This makes it ideal for dealing with attacks from both heavier units like Hammers/Thuds or much lighter units like Fleas, where it can instantly move on to the next target when the first one is destroyed, rather than waiting for a lengthy cool-down period. Probably the most useful function of a beamer is that it slightly outranges an LLT, making it ideal for front-line construction wars. While a Core player must use an HLT to outrange his enemy's LLTs, the Arm player can drop in a Beamer much more quickly that will outrange and destroy the enemy LLTs.

The HLLT, on the other hand, is pretty much just a beefed up LLT. It has two turrets, allowing it to target two enemies simultaneously or concentrate on a single one. They have more than their fair share of hit points.

====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.

====Packo/SAM Anti-air Turret====

These are much more durable than standard missile towers and fire homing missiles quite rapidly. They are good at taking out large number of lighter planes quickly, making them a very effective fighter swarm counter. They will struggle to kill level 2 gunships and bombers unless used in large numbers, making flak cannons and level 2 missile towers a better choice against these units. The Packo can retract into a shielded underground state, largely protecting it from ground attack. The SAM just has more hitpoints.

====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.''

Besides Mercury/Screamer towers, these are the longest-range anti-air units you can build.

These buildings do extra damage against bombers.

====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.

Keep in mind that the HLT has very poor rate-of-fire, so a swarm of fast, light units can easily rush through an HLT-defended line. Because of this it is important to always mix your defenses and include smaller defensive structures.

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 trajectory", which causes it to fire more damaging but highly inaccurate shells with a large area of effect in a high arc, or "Low trajectory", which causes more direct, more accurate, but less powerful shells to be fired. "High trajectory" should be preferred for bombardment, while "Low trajectory" should be used during defensive action unless targetting extremely-slow units. "High trajectory" will lead the target, so attacks of fast units can trick the Guardian into leading so far that it will fire into your own base.

Note that this defense does '''double damage vs. naval units'''. As such, it is a critical resource in mixed land-water maps. "Low trajectory" should be preferred when attacking aquatic targets.

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.

These do extra damage against amphibious units, and are therefore a good choice for defending a shoreline against a "fully submerged" opponent.

====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.

====Dargon's Claw/Dragon's Maw====

These are stealthy defensive structures (really stationary units) that can disguise themselves as Dragon's Teeth. When disguised, they can take significant amounts of damage, just like any "pop-up" weapon. If an enemy wanders into range, they'll reveal themselves and attack with a short-ranged lightning cannon (Arm) or flamethrower (Core). When destroyed, they leave behind ordinary Dragon's Teeth.

===Level 2 Defensive Structures===

====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 or nuclear weapons.

Currently does '''triple damage to naval units''' so it should be preferred over the L1 plasma cannons in naval maps.

====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 totally under water, and so can only be targeted 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 must be constructed before launch) all the way across any map, each of which can destroy a substantial portion of an enemy base. Very few things (such as specialized structures that are in an armoured state by default) can survive a nuke blast, though the missiles can be easily intercepted by Protectors/Fortitudes.

====Juno====

The Juno is a much more limited ballistic 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 sheild that stops all manner of plasma weapons, gauss shells, and EMG fire, but it 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.

The sheild needs to be charged to stop shells, you can determine it's level of charge by how the sheild appears, a barely visible sheild has no or very low charge whereas a bright white sheild is fully charged. The sheild consumes energy to charge.

The sheild can hold it's onw for quite a while against VLRPCs, bur RFVLRPCS can bring them down near instantly.

====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. A cluster of these structures packed into a chokepoint or lined up in front of some Annihilators/Doomsday Machines can do quite a lot of damage. When not in use, they fold away into a concrete bunker, making them effectively immune to long-range artillery and even nuke strikes.

===Arm Level 2 Defensive Structures===

====Detonator====

The Detonator fires ballistic EMP missiles that paralyze units caught inside the blast. Their projectiles cannot be intercepted, making them very good at "preparing" enemy defensive structures or units for an attack. Like nukes and anti-nukes, the Detonator must build each shot before it can be used.

===Core Level 2 Defensive Structures===

====Inferno====

Wide-arc flamethrower. Good against swarms or for use in conjunction with several other Infernos against bigger units, or simply as one more extra support turret in a massively fortified front line.

====Catalyst====

A short-range tactical nuke launcher. The Catalyst's ballistic missile cannot be intercepted by anti-nukes but do significantly less damage than full-sized nukes. This makes them poor at destroying bases, but very good at softening up an enemy defensive line before an attack.

==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 KBots===

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====

Slightly 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 have a long range but 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 are shorter-ranged than Rocko/Storm rockets, but can 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. They're generally useless when compared to other forms of anti-air, so should only be used if you have no other option for mobile anti-air. Otherwise, prefer the static structures, or fighters, or flak tanks.

===Arm Lvl 1 KBots===

====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 an excellent defensive unit, as it has a lot of health and powerful weapons. While slow-building and expensive for a L1 KBot, a Warrior is almost the equal of a Zeus, and a small force backed up by other L1 KBots can be an excellent assault force.

====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 KBots===

The Core has no unique Level 1 KBots.

===Common Lvl 2 KBots===

====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-conceived 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 reanimated corpses of the enemy's attack force into your service to supplement 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 useful for getting past an enemy's defences.

Take note that they are extremely small targets moving at a substantial speed so most non-beam-weapons will miss them.

===Arm Lvl 2 KBots===

====Fido====

A very average level 2 KBot. Weaker than a [[#Zeus|Zeus]] or [[#Maverick|Maverick]] but faster and cheaper. Versatile but not particularly good at any one thing. The Fido has two fire modes, which can be toggled by switching its "Active State" between "On" and "Off". The default uses a long-range, slow-firing direct-fire gauss cannon. It's fairly accurate but relatively low-damage. The "Ballistic Cannon" mode fires a less-accurate shell that travels in a higher, ballistic arc, allowing it to fire over other units, Dragon's Teeth, and hills.

====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. Average durability and speed for an L2 unit, but capable of doing impressive damage. It destroys L1 units and light defences with ease. The Maverick also auto-repairs in combat and has a longer visual range than most units, making one or two good "spotters" for a unit of other KBots.

====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, provided you have something to soak up enemy fire while the Sharpshooters do their work.

====Recluse====

A spider KBot that can climb up almost anything. Can cause nightmares for unprepared opponents 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.

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. Even on open ground, the paralyzer weapon makes it an excellent unit to mix in with an assault force, as a couple of shots can take an enemy unit out of the battle for a few seconds, and will probably focus all the enemy's fire on the Spider.

====Scarab====

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.

===Core Lvl 2 KBots===

====Pyro====

Core's level 2 [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/wiki/Swarming swarm]/assault unit unit. Halfway between a Zipper and a Zeus in toughness and speed. 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. Generally, you'll want to back these up with Cans.

====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. Longer weapon range and more power, as well as a much faster fire rate. 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. Good at countering light Level 3 KBots. Like the Can, it has a combat auto-repair.

====Morty====

A support KBot with a very big gun. Has a long range and fires fast, 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 torpedoes 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 or Raiders near the front lines to reinforce your assault force can be very effective!

====Dominator====

Another artillery support KBot, the Dominator fires vertically-launched rockets. These are only slightly longer-ranged 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, but it can cloak too. Combined with radar jamming, a Skuttle can blast an impressive hole in even the toughest defences.

====Leejen====

A light and fast but totally unarmed scout KBot. Cheap unit, good for scouting ahead of a force for things like stealth units, mines, and enemy defences. Has a very short-ranged radar for spotting cloaked units, etc.

===Common Lvl 3 KBots===

====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 Annihilators/Doomsday Machines, 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, or a few Sumos, though it can outrun the Sumos.

====Marauder====

A medium amphibious assault unit. Very fast moving on land, and can be 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 bypass enemy defences.

====Aegis====

A mobile EMP ballistic missile 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 KBots===

====Krogoth====

An [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/wiki/Uberweapon Uberweapon]. Costs absurd amounts of resources. Slightly more powerful and tougher than the Orcone, and features a shotgun-style blaster which is ideal for concentrated fire on a single heavy target or spread fire over a swarm of lesser units.

====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 vulnerable 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. Juggernauts have a lot of hit points, so they can also be used as a sort of "rolling front line". Should ideally have a group of support construction units for when its job is done and it's lost a lot of health.

====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. In groups of three or more, these can tear apart an enemy base in as little as 60 seconds. They should be guarded well by units such as Sumos, Cans, and Karganeths.

==Vehicles==

Vehicles use wheels or tracks to move. They're generaly fast, 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 Vehicles===

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 equivalent 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.

====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 equivalent 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 fair 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 (to their peril).

===Arm Lvl 1 Vehicles===

====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 Vehicles===

====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 Vehicles===

====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 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. They are slower than other forms of mobile artillery but tougher, making them good at assaulting enemy defensive structures.

====Triton/Croc====

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. The usual limitations of amphibious units apply.

====Bulldog/Reaper====

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

===Arm Lvl 2 Vehicles===

====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, especially once L3 units start rolling out. 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 and Zeus. These can be used to construct front-line reinforcements or even, with the help of jammers, construct an entire attack force for use against an unwary opponent.

===Core Lvl 2 Vehicles===

====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. While expensive, a force of goliaths can do very impressive damage and can be very difficult to stop, especially since it auto-repairs even during combat. 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.

====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. Its shots have a fairly large scatter, making them great at wiping out clustered defences or resource buildings.

====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.

==Aircraft==

Aircraft are airborne combat units. They're fast, can cross any terrain, but can take very little damage. Most aircraft are specialized, and designed for a specific task. Against units not built specifically to counter them, aircraft are very effective. Against anti-air units, they are at a significant disadvantage. Generally air units are not a base busting assault weapon, but anyone who assumes that they are useless will play at a significant disadvantage. Aircraft can be put to several uses, even in the late game:

Scouting: You've built a [[#Big Bertha/Intimidator|VLRPC]] (or ten). The sounds of each successive shell exploding in your enemy's base is slowly ratcheting up the pressure. But how do you know whether the pride of your army is destroying important enemy buildings, or killing peewees and solar collectors? Build some airplanes and have a look. You can then aim your Big Bertha at a worthy target. If your enemies build LRPCs, but only one player builds planes, guess who will find and destroy the opposing LRPCs first?

A few light aircraft can also be a great investment ahead of a ground attack. You can spot holes in the defence to aim for or unexpected resistance to retreat from before taking losses. They can provide line of sight for long range artillery to start pounding opposing defences. And what is that blob of units coming towards you on the radar? A plane can tell you if its 20 peewees or 20 goliaths. Any empty space on the map? Send a plane to scout at random intervals; you might find and prevent an opponent preparing a nasty surprise under cover of a radar jammer.

In general terms, scout aircraft are invaluable, as they're a very reliable mechanism for gathering precise information about the battlefield, even through heavy radar jamming and enemy fire.

Overwhelming: Focus efforts on building a large devestating force of bombers or gunships. With enough effort or against an unsuspecting victim, you may create a large enough air attack to devestate a base with insufficient anti-air defence. If your opponent ''does'' build enough anti-air defences, the setback to your economy from this effort will be serious.

Defence: An often overlooked aspect of aircraft is their use for base defence. They have the advantage of being able to intercept an attack from any direction quickly. If the attack force does not include a significant anti air componenent, your planes can attack while taking very little damage in return. [[#Hawk/Vamp|Hawks/Vamps]] are particularly good at this, and while they're unlikely to do fatal damage to ground units, they're excellent at intercepting and destroying enemy airstrikes. Level 2 bombers and gunships can provide a more adiquate dfence against ground assaults. A few Arm Stilletos, for instance, can provide an effective defence against nearly any attack.

Strategic strikes: Sometimes your opponent has a key building you badly want to destroy. It might be a [[#Retaliator/Silencer|nuclear silo]], [[#Protector/Fortitude|nuclear defence]], or a [[#Vulcan/Buzzsaw|rapid fire LRPC]]. Perhaps a [[#Moho Geothermal Powerplant|moho geothermal]], or [[#Advanced Fusion Reactor|advanced fusion]] that could take half the base with it if you can kill it. Or a [[#Commander|Commander]]. A determined bombing assault can often do the trick. Air has an unequaled ability to rapidly move and concentrate force to attack a key location. Just make sure the target is worth the effort, as in most games the planes that will get destroyed by anti-air in such a strike will represent a significant investment of resources. You'll need to use ground forces to capitalize on the strike.

All aircraft have a limited-range sonar, allowing them to see submerged units immediately under them. Aircraft generally cost larger amounts of energy, and lower amounts of metal when compared with other units. This can energy stall an unprepared player who tries to build an air force too early in the game. Aircraft also take a long time to build. Building an Air Factory as your first factory is a high-risk move guaranteed to slow down economic expansion drastrically.

===Common Lvl 1 Aircraft===

====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. Carries flares to reduce the effectiveness of guided AA weapons. They're best used as scouts, to spot targets for long-range artillery or attack forces. As they're cheap, fast, airborne, carry radar, and have a good sight range, Peepers and Finks are among the best scouts in the game. It's almost always worth building an L1 Aircraft Plant even if you only use it for building these.

====Freedom Fighter/Avenger====

A basic fighter aircraft. Fast and maneuverable, but can't take much damage. Carries a homing missile that can attack ground or air targets. Although they're not specifically designed for it, a group of 20-30 of these can be quickly and cheaply built in the late game to harass enemy units to great effect. Great against level 1 aircraft, and useful against level 2 aircraft and ground units if built in a large enough swarm. They are also extremely effective against gunships of all kinds.

An effective tactic can be to slowly assemble a group of these and then use them to raid your enemy's resources; from then on, he'll be forced to build extensive anti-air even if you don't plan on ever using air again. If your enemy is spending half his resources to defend against an attack that's not coming....

====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, but if you can find an opening in the enemy's anti-aircraft defences, a quick raid with air transports could exploit it very effectively. Even against moderate AA, a swarm of Atlases (20-ish) will often be able to drop off at least a few units behind enemy lines before they die.

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 Aircraft===

====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 damage, 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 vulnerable to flak.

As with all gunships, banshees take slightly (~20%) reduced damage from missiles compared to other types of aircraft.

===Core Lvl 1 Aircraft===

====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 paralysing serious threats. It can hover, allowing it to attack slow-moving or stationary ground units very effectively but making it vulnerable to flak.

Many Core players have gone on the record to say that the only reason they like Core so much is the Bladewing. With its ability to temporarily remove any one unit from a fight, you can effectively take the wind out of your enemy's sails if that one unit is, for instance, a Bantha.

Be aware that superweapons and Commanders are nigh-invulnerable to paralyzer weapons. Concentrated fire may temporarily stun them, but they'll be back in action practically the instant you stop firing.

===Common Lvl 2 Aircraft===

====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 AA in general and flak in particular. Before the enemy has significant flak defences, Brawlers and Rapiers are viable for assaults. After that point, they're best used to raid areas of the enemy base lacking flak for whatever reason, or harass assault forces that have insufficient AA cover. These are also fairly supicable to fighters, especialy when traveling to or from a target.

Be aware that Brawlers and Rapiers do significant damage to other gunships in the area when they explode. This means that, beyond about 15-20 gunships, additional gunships won't actually contribute much to a swarm's effectiveness. If you do find yourself with more than this, split them up into multiple groups.

====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, regardless of what it is. 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.

As advanced missile towers and flak get built, the ability of Phoenixes and Hurricanes to hit targets anywhere in a base diminishes. They remain useful for striking targets near the edge, and can be good for softening up a defence line or breaking a hole in it before an attack, but typically need to withdraw (or will be destroyed) after one or two passes.

Because of their bomb scattering attribute, a group of even 5+ Phoenix or Hurricanes can be used to quickly massacre even a moderately fast-moving attack group if it isn't protected by a strong anti-air presence.

====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, gunships, and level 1 fighters. Not so good offensively, though, as they suck at attacking ground targets. They're good at intercepting enemy airstrikes and providing AA defence for the skies over your base or contested territory.

Note that stealth fighters are excellent AA cover for ground assault forces. Because they're stealthy, they can't be picked up on radar and destroyed by [[#Mercury/Screamer|Mercuries/Screamers]] until they actually engage the enemy. By that time, it's usually too late. You will probably lose all of your Hawks/Vamps, but your enemy's air-swarm will also be dead.

====Eagle/Vulture====

A more sophisticated recon plane. Has a longer radar range and carries a real sonar. Information about your enemy's activities is vital for both attack and defence, and the Eagle/Vulture can tell you a lot. Since they're more expensive than the Peeper/Fink, they're less expendable, making them less useful for quick scouting once AA is deployed. Carry flares to improve their survivability against guided missiles.

===Arm Lvl 2 Aircraft===

====Blade====

A gunship with even more armor and an even bigger weapon. They're tough and reasonably fast, making them good support for your assault forces or base defenses once the enemy deploys flak cannons. Hawks/Vamps, Mercuries/Screamers, and Freedom Fighters/Avengers still work well against them.

Because of a Blade's heavy armor, they take only 50% damage from flak guns, in addition to the standard 20% damage reduction for missile attacks on gunships. In short, they're Arm's ultimate high-flying badasses. Like other gunships, they still "chain-explode", making large packs much easier to kill.

====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 Hawks/Vamps and Freedom Fighters/Avengers, 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, or greater amounts of smaller units. Unlike level 1 transports these can be used in an assault role providiing enemy AA isn't incredibly strong. The ability to drop several units into an enemy base is not to be underestimated.

====Stilleto====

A stealthy bomber whose weapon paralyzes targets caught in the blast. Good for softening up a defence line or assault force. These units are highly resiliant against anti-aircraft fire, with a relativley high amount of hitpoints, radar invisibility, and flares to deflect missiles. On the offensive it can be used to disable enemy AA or ground turrets, allowing you to move in a more damaging force. On defence it can disable large amounts of small units, or even the large mechs which have no defence against such aircraft.

===Core Lvl 2 Aircraft===

====Seahook====

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

====Krow====

Flying instagib. With its three heavy, rapid-firing lasers, it will kill anything that isn't protected by heavy AA. Krows are not actually flak-resistant. They simply have a ''lot'' of HP.

==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 Ships and Subs===

====Skeeter/Searcher====

The naval equivalent 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. They are also useful as anti-air for early attacks, before you can get/need the standard AA ships ([[#Archer/Shredder|Archer/Shredder]]).

====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 Ships and Subs===

====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 much more accurate heavy laser. These ships can dominate enemy fleets but are expensive and very weak against submarines and aircraft. 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 sea-borne 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.

==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 Hovercraft===

====Mausser/Navarone====

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

====Swatter/Slinger====

An anti-air 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. Neither can stand up to proper tanks or ships, but they're very good for quick attacks over small bodies of water.

====Wombat/Nixer====

A hovercraft with a vertically-launched artillery rocket. Very similar to the Merl/Diplomat, but with a shorter range, faster fire rate, and lower 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.) These effectively form the tier 3 of aircraft. While the ranks of seaplanes do not include units like Krows or Krogoths, they are far more cost effective, more powerful, generally nimbler, faster, and so on. Seaplane factories can only be built on the water by Advanced Construction Submarines and Aircraft

===Common Lvl 1 Seaplanes===

====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. Carries flares to help protect it against guided missiles.

====Tornado/Voodoo====

Basic fighter seaplane. Similar to the Hawk/Vamp, but not stealthy and with a less powerful air-to-air missile. Although they will generally lose to a Hawk/Vamp in a head-to-head fight, they are far less expensive and faster to build.

====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. About the same general power level as a Brawler/Rapier, but slightly more cost-effective, quick, and nimble. 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/Maelstrom====

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

2006-08-23T16:52:35Z

Egarwaen: /* Guardian/Punisher Plasma Cannon */ Spelling, I think.

This is the Practical AA Guide. It has information such as ways to best use units, and things to avoid. To answer more technical questions, such as exactly how much damage per second a weapon is capable of, or precise build costs of a particular unit, you may want to visit the [http://ta-aa.sourceforge.net/modweb Technical AA Guide].

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 in the first few minutes of the game, and destroys any reclaimable wreckage. His laser should be more than enough against small groups of raiders. Whatever you do, '''do not''' D-Gun your own structures or units unless it's that or lose the game.

The Commander has a small but constant auto-repair, which makes him better able to handle fire from raiders and sporadic artillery hits. Note that the Commander takes extra damage from stationary defences and that these defences will usually prioritize him due to his high cost.

==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 Resource Structures===

====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 Collector====

More expensive than a [[#Wind Generator|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 Metal Maker consumes 100e and produces 1m. When building metal makers, always use the [[Metal Maker AI]].

There are also floating versions of this structure, these ae somhat more efficient, consuming 90e and producing 1m.

====Advanced Solar Collector====

The Advanced Solar Generator produces about four times as much energy (75 per tick) as a regular [[#Solar Collector|Solar Collector]], but costs correspondingly more metal and significantly more energy. Their advantage over regular Solar Collectors is that they have a smaller footprint (4x4 instead of 5x5). They cannot close into a more armored form, but they do have more health.

====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.

Geothermal powerplants, much like the level 2 Moho Geothermal Powerplants, have a nasty explosion. Be careful what you build around them since they will be a prime target of opportunity.

Absolute Annihilation gives Arm increased output from geothermal powerplants.

====Energy/Metal Storage====

As the name indicates, these structures provide you with additional energy and metal storage. Since all resource structures in AA come with some 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 usually be using up your metal as fast as you can without stalling. ''However'' if you're reclaiming a lot of things, especially any [[#Commander|Commander]] wreckage laying about, you'll need these in order to make sure you receive all your metal.

===Arm Level 1 Resource Structures===

====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 necessary. Watch out for this when killing them if the enemy has some units nearby, as paralyzed units are easy prey.

===Core Level 1 Resource Structures===

====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 Resource Structures===

====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. Unlike Moho Mines in [[XTA]], they only cost 25 energy to operate. 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.

Absolute Annihilation gives Core slightly better energy output on their fusion plants.

====Moho Metal Maker====

A bigger, better metal maker. Takes much more energy to operate, but produces much more metal, and does so more efficently. 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, wich is the most efficent energy to metal convertor of all.

====Metal Generator====

A structure that provides a steady input of 1m at no cost other than initial construction. 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.

Absolute Annihilation gives Arm a hefty boost to their output from Moho Geothermal Powerplants.

====Advanced Fusion Reactor====

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

Absolute Annihilation gives Core a hefty boost to their Advanced Fusion Reactor's energy output. However, this is somewhat offset by the greater cost a Core player must pay if he or she wants to cloak their reactor.

===Arm Level 2 Resource Structures===

====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. Also, keep in mind that it is has more health than any other powerplant short of the mohofusion, so it can provide a nearly invincible component to your economy.

===Core Level 2 Resource Structures===

====Moho 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. Behemoths have the longest range of any turret except for LRPC/RFLRPCs.

==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. Units firing on radar dots can gain better accuracy if a player or one of his allies builds a radar targeting facility. 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 by either side. Yes, this means that you can't use radar to detect enemy units inside the area of effect of one of your jammers! 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.

In the late game, as more and more of the map gets covered by radar jammers, Dragon's Eyes become one of the most effective ways to keep track of your enemy's activities. They're virtually undectable once built and can't be fooled by radar jamming or stealth, though they still can't see cloaked units.

===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 [[#Bulldog|Bulldogs]] or [[#Goliath|Goliaths]], can drive over Dragon's Teeth, destroying them in the process.

Commanders and construction planes have a speed advantage in building these, as construction bots and vehicles do a small animation whenver they start or finish constructing something. This slows them down significantly on such cheap structures.

These can be used in lines to block an enemy advance. This is useful to prevent fast raiding units from simply rushing past your defences to attack key buildings in the back of your base. They can also be used in small lines or squares surrounding a defensive structure such as a [[#Sentinel/Gaat_Gun_Heavy_Laser_Tower|heavy laser tower]]. This can provide some protection from small units with direct fire weapons such as the [[#Flash/Instigator|Flash tank]].

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

One interesting use of Dragon's Teeth is terrain modification. DTs have a substantially higher "slope tolerance" (the maximum slope they can be built on) than most structures. They can be reclaimed to recover much of the metal that went into their construction. This makes them excellent for "clearing terrain" for building other structures. Just build a single DT or a small block of them, reclaim them, and build on the now-flattened land! This is great for putting up LLTs on hills, but can also be used to place Guardians/Punishers in unexpected locations. (Tip from Felix the Cat)

===Level 1 Defensive Structures===

====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 abbreviated as "LLT". They're good for covering mostly-blocked approaches to your base (like hills), as they can kill most light raiding forces.

A good way to defend against early to mid-game attacks is to build 3 LLTs in a loose cluster at the top of any hills or in choke points. Then build a couple of radar towers behind them to help spot enemies.

Throughout any game, even to the end, LLTs should be built in key areas of your base. They will come in handy in case an enemy slips through your outer perimeter.

====Beamer/Heavy Light Laser Turret (HLLT)====

Designed as a more permanent defensive structure for highly valuable inner-base areas as well as mid-game frontline duty. Beamers shoot a constant beam (get it? eh? eh?) which causes steady damage. This makes it ideal for dealing with attacks from both heavier units like Hammers/Thuds or much lighter units like Fleas, where it can instantly move on to the next target when the first one is destroyed, rather than waiting for a lengthy cool-down period. Probably the most useful function of a beamer is that it slightly outranges an LLT, making it ideal for front-line construction wars. While a Core player must use an HLT to outrange his enemy's LLTs, the Arm player can drop in a Beamer much more quickly that will outrange and destroy the enemy LLTs.

The HLLT, on the other hand, is pretty much just a beefed up LLT. It has two turrets, allowing it to target two enemies simultaneously or concentrate on a single one. They have more than their fair share of hit points.

====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.

====Packo/SAM Anti-air Turret====

These are much more durable than standard missile towers and fire homing missiles quite rapidly. They are good at taking out large number of lighter planes quickly, making them a very effective fighter swarm counter. They will struggle to kill level 2 gunships and bombers unless used in large numbers, making flak cannons and level 2 missile towers a better choice against these units. The Packo can retract into a shielded underground state, largely protecting it from ground attack. The SAM just has more hitpoints.

====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.''

Besides Mercury/Screamer towers, these are the longest-range anti-air units you can build.

These buildings do extra damage against bombers.

====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.

Keep in mind that the HLT has very poor rate-of-fire, so a swarm of fast, light units can easily rush through an HLT-defended line. Because of this it is important to always mix your defenses and include smaller defensive structures.

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 trajectory", which causes it to fire more damaging but highly inaccurate shells with a large area of effect in a high arc, or "Low trajectory", which causes more direct, more accurate, but less powerful shells to be fired. "High trajectory" should be preferred for bombardment, while "Low trajectory" should be used during defensive action unless targetting extremely-slow units. "High trajectory" will lead the target, so attacks of fast units can trick the Guardian into leading so far that it will fire into your own base.

Note that this defense does '''double damage vs. naval units'''. As such, it is a critical resource in mixed land-water maps. "Low trajectory" should be preferred when attacking aquatic targets.

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.

These do extra damage against amphibious units, and are therefore a good choice for defending a shoreline against a "fully submerged" opponent.

====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.

====Dargon's Claw/Dragon's Maw====

These are stealthy defensive structures (really stationary units) that can disguise themselves as Dragon's Teeth. When disguised, they can take significant amounts of damage, just like any "pop-up" weapon. If an enemy wanders into range, they'll reveal themselves and attack with a short-ranged lightning cannon (Arm) or flamethrower (Core). When destroyed, they leave behind ordinary Dragon's Teeth.

===Level 2 Defensive Structures===

====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 or nuclear weapons.

Currently does '''triple damage to naval units''' so it should be preferred over the L1 plasma cannons in naval maps.

====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 totally under water, and so can only be targeted 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 must be constructed before launch) all the way across any map, each of which can destroy a substantial portion of an enemy base. Very few things (such as specialized structures that are in an armoured state by default) can survive a nuke blast, though the missiles can be easily intercepted by Protectors/Fortitudes.

====Juno====

The Juno is a much more limited ballistic 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 sheild that stops all manner of plasma weapons, gauss shells, and EMG fire, but it 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.

The sheild needs to be charged to stop shells, you can determine it's level of charge by how the sheild appears, a barely visible sheild has no or very low charge whereas a bright white sheild is fully charged. The sheild consumes energy to charge.

The sheild can hold it's onw for quite a while against VLRPCs, bur RFVLRPCS can bring them down near instantly.

====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. A cluster of these structures packed into a chokepoint or lined up in front of some Annihilators/Doomsday Machines can do quite a lot of damage. When not in use, they fold away into a concrete bunker, making them effectively immune to long-range artillery and even nuke strikes.

===Arm Level 2 Defensive Structures===

====Detonator====

The Detonator fires ballistic EMP missiles that paralyze units caught inside the blast. Their projectiles cannot be intercepted, making them very good at "preparing" enemy defensive structures or units for an attack. Like nukes and anti-nukes, the Detonator must build each shot before it can be used.

===Core Level 2 Defensive Structures===

====Inferno====

Wide-arc flamethrower. Good against swarms or for use in conjunction with several other Infernos against bigger units, or simply as one more extra support turret in a massively fortified front line.

====Catalyst====

A short-range tactical nuke launcher. The Catalyst's ballistic missile cannot be intercepted by anti-nukes but do significantly less damage than full-sized nukes. This makes them poor at destroying bases, but very good at softening up an enemy defensive line before an attack.

==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 KBots===

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====

Slightly 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 have a long range but 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 are shorter-ranged than Rocko/Storm rockets, but can 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. They're generally useless when compared to other forms of anti-air, so should only be used if you have no other option for mobile anti-air. Otherwise, prefer the static structures, or fighters, or flak tanks.

===Arm Lvl 1 KBots===

====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 KBots===

The Core has no unique Level 1 KBots.

===Common Lvl 2 KBots===

====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-conceived 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 reanimated corpses of the enemy's attack force into your service to supplement 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 useful for getting past an enemy's defences.

Take note that they are extremely small targets moving at a substantial speed so most non-beam-weapons will miss them.

===Arm Lvl 2 KBots===

====Fido====

A very average level 2 KBot. Weaker than a [[#Zeus|Zeus]] or [[#Maverick|Maverick]] but faster and cheaper. Versatile but not particularly good at any one thing. The Fido has two fire modes, which can be toggled by switching its "Active State" between "On" and "Off". The default uses a long-range, slow-firing direct-fire gauss cannon. It's fairly accurate but relatively low-damage. The "Ballistic Cannon" mode fires a less-accurate shell that travels in a higher, ballistic arc, allowing it to fire over other units, Dragon's Teeth, and hills.

====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. Average durability and speed for an L2 unit, but capable of doing impressive damage. It destroys L1 units and light defences with ease. The Maverick also auto-repairs in combat and has a longer visual range than most units, making one or two good "spotters" for a unit of other KBots.

====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, provided you have something to soak up enemy fire while the Sharpshooters do their work.

====Recluse====

A spider KBot that can climb up almost anything. Can cause nightmares for unprepared opponents 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.

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. Even on open ground, the paralyzer weapon makes it an excellent unit to mix in with an assault force, as a couple of shots can take an enemy unit out of the battle for a few seconds, and will probably focus all the enemy's fire on the Spider.

====Scarab====

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.

===Core Lvl 2 KBots===

====Pyro====

Core's level 2 [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/wiki/Swarming swarm]/assault unit unit. Halfway between a Zipper and a Zeus in toughness and speed. 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. Generally, you'll want to back these up with Cans.

====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. Longer weapon range and more power, as well as a much faster fire rate. 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. Good at countering light Level 3 KBots. Like the Can, it has a combat auto-repair.

====Morty====

A support KBot with a very big gun. Has a long range and fires fast, 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 torpedoes 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 or Raiders near the front lines to reinforce your assault force can be very effective!

====Dominator====

Another artillery support KBot, the Dominator fires vertically-launched rockets. These are only slightly longer-ranged 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, but it can cloak too. Combined with radar jamming, a Skuttle can blast an impressive hole in even the toughest defences.

====Leejen====

A light and fast but totally unarmed scout KBot. Cheap unit, good for scouting ahead of a force for things like stealth units, mines, and enemy defences. Has a very short-ranged radar for spotting cloaked units, etc.

===Common Lvl 3 KBots===

====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 Annihilators/Doomsday Machines, 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, or a few Sumos, though it can outrun the Sumos.

====Marauder====

A medium amphibious assault unit. Very fast moving on land, and can be 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 bypass enemy defences.

====Aegis====

A mobile EMP ballistic missile 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 KBots===

====Krogoth====

An [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/wiki/Uberweapon Uberweapon]. Costs absurd amounts of resources. Slightly more powerful and tougher than the Orcone, and features a shotgun-style blaster which is ideal for concentrated fire on a single heavy target or spread fire over a swarm of lesser units.

====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 vulnerable 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. Juggernauts have a lot of hit points, so they can also be used as a sort of "rolling front line". Should ideally have a group of support construction units for when its job is done and it's lost a lot of health.

====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. In groups of three or more, these can tear apart an enemy base in as little as 60 seconds. They should be guarded well by units such as Sumos, Cans, and Karganeths.

==Vehicles==

Vehicles use wheels or tracks to move. They're generaly fast, 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 Vehicles===

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 equivalent 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.

====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 equivalent 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 fair 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 (to their peril).

===Arm Lvl 1 Vehicles===

====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 Vehicles===

====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 Vehicles===

====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 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. They are slower than other forms of mobile artillery but tougher, making them good at assaulting enemy defensive structures.

====Triton/Croc====

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. The usual limitations of amphibious units apply.

====Bulldog/Reaper====

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

===Arm Lvl 2 Vehicles===

====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, especially once L3 units start rolling out. 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 and Zeus. These can be used to construct front-line reinforcements or even, with the help of jammers, construct an entire attack force for use against an unwary opponent.

===Core Lvl 2 Vehicles===

====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. While expensive, a force of goliaths can do very impressive damage and can be very difficult to stop, especially since it auto-repairs even during combat. 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.

====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. Its shots have a fairly large scatter, making them great at wiping out clustered defences or resource buildings.

====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.

==Aircraft==

Aircraft are airborne combat units. They're fast, can cross any terrain, but can take very little damage. Most aircraft are specialized, and designed for a specific task. Against units not built specifically to counter them, aircraft are very effective. Against anti-air units, they are at a significant disadvantage. Generally air units are not a base busting assault weapon, but anyone who assumes that they are useless will play at a significant disadvantage. Aircraft can be put to several uses, even in the late game:

Scouting: You've built a [[#Big Bertha/Intimidator|VLRPC]] (or ten). The sounds of each successive shell exploding in your enemy's base is slowly ratcheting up the pressure. But how do you know whether the pride of your army is destroying important enemy buildings, or killing peewees and solar collectors? Build some airplanes and have a look. You can then aim your Big Bertha at a worthy target. If your enemies build LRPCs, but only one player builds planes, guess who will find and destroy the opposing LRPCs first?

A few light aircraft can also be a great investment ahead of a ground attack. You can spot holes in the defence to aim for or unexpected resistance to retreat from before taking losses. They can provide line of sight for long range artillery to start pounding opposing defences. And what is that blob of units coming towards you on the radar? A plane can tell you if its 20 peewees or 20 goliaths. Any empty space on the map? Send a plane to scout at random intervals; you might find and prevent an opponent preparing a nasty surprise under cover of a radar jammer.

In general terms, scout aircraft are invaluable, as they're a very reliable mechanism for gathering precise information about the battlefield, even through heavy radar jamming and enemy fire.

Overwhelming: Focus efforts on building a large devestating force of bombers or gunships. With enough effort or against an unsuspecting victim, you may create a large enough air attack to devestate a base with insufficient anti-air defence. If your opponent ''does'' build enough anti-air defences, the setback to your economy from this effort will be serious.

Defence: An often overlooked aspect of aircraft is their use for base defence. They have the advantage of being able to intercept an attack from any direction quickly. If the attack force does not include a significant anti air componenent, your planes can attack while taking very little damage in return. [[#Hawk/Vamp|Hawks/Vamps]] are particularly good at this, and while they're unlikely to do fatal damage to ground units, they're excellent at intercepting and destroying enemy airstrikes. Level 2 bombers and gunships can provide a more adiquate dfence against ground assaults. A few Arm Stilletos, for instance, can provide an effective defence against nearly any attack.

Strategic strikes: Sometimes your opponent has a key building you badly want to destroy. It might be a [[#Retaliator/Silencer|nuclear silo]], [[#Protector/Fortitude|nuclear defence]], or a [[#Vulcan/Buzzsaw|rapid fire LRPC]]. Perhaps a [[#Moho Geothermal Powerplant|moho geothermal]], or [[#Advanced Fusion Reactor|advanced fusion]] that could take half the base with it if you can kill it. Or a [[#Commander|Commander]]. A determined bombing assault can often do the trick. Air has an unequaled ability to rapidly move and concentrate force to attack a key location. Just make sure the target is worth the effort, as in most games the planes that will get destroyed by anti-air in such a strike will represent a significant investment of resources. You'll need to use ground forces to capitalize on the strike.

All aircraft have a limited-range sonar, allowing them to see submerged units immediately under them. Aircraft generally cost larger amounts of energy, and lower amounts of metal when compared with other units. This can energy stall an unprepared player who tries to build an air force too early in the game. Aircraft also take a long time to build. Building an Air Factory as your first factory is a high-risk move guaranteed to slow down economic expansion drastrically.

===Common Lvl 1 Aircraft===

====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. Carries flares to reduce the effectiveness of guided AA weapons. They're best used as scouts, to spot targets for long-range artillery or attack forces. As they're cheap, fast, airborne, carry radar, and have a good sight range, Peepers and Finks are among the best scouts in the game. It's almost always worth building an L1 Aircraft Plant even if you only use it for building these.

====Freedom Fighter/Avenger====

A basic fighter aircraft. Fast and maneuverable, but can't take much damage. Carries a homing missile that can attack ground or air targets. Although they're not specifically designed for it, a group of 20-30 of these can be quickly and cheaply built in the late game to harass enemy units to great effect. Great against level 1 aircraft, and useful against level 2 aircraft and ground units if built in a large enough swarm. They are also extremely effective against gunships of all kinds.

An effective tactic can be to slowly assemble a group of these and then use them to raid your enemy's resources; from then on, he'll be forced to build extensive anti-air even if you don't plan on ever using air again. If your enemy is spending half his resources to defend against an attack that's not coming....

====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, but if you can find an opening in the enemy's anti-aircraft defences, a quick raid with air transports could exploit it very effectively. Even against moderate AA, a swarm of Atlases (20-ish) will often be able to drop off at least a few units behind enemy lines before they die.

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 Aircraft===

====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 damage, 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 vulnerable to flak.

As with all gunships, banshees take slightly (~20%) reduced damage from missiles compared to other types of aircraft.

===Core Lvl 1 Aircraft===

====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 paralysing serious threats. It can hover, allowing it to attack slow-moving or stationary ground units very effectively but making it vulnerable to flak.

Many Core players have gone on the record to say that the only reason they like Core so much is the Bladewing. With its ability to temporarily remove any one unit from a fight, you can effectively take the wind out of your enemy's sails if that one unit is, for instance, a Bantha.

Be aware that superweapons and Commanders are nigh-invulnerable to paralyzer weapons. Concentrated fire may temporarily stun them, but they'll be back in action practically the instant you stop firing.

===Common Lvl 2 Aircraft===

====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 AA in general and flak in particular. Before the enemy has significant flak defences, Brawlers and Rapiers are viable for assaults. After that point, they're best used to raid areas of the enemy base lacking flak for whatever reason, or harass assault forces that have insufficient AA cover. These are also fairly supicable to fighters, especialy when traveling to or from a target.

Be aware that Brawlers and Rapiers do significant damage to other gunships in the area when they explode. This means that, beyond about 15-20 gunships, additional gunships won't actually contribute much to a swarm's effectiveness. If you do find yourself with more than this, split them up into multiple groups.

====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, regardless of what it is. 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.

As advanced missile towers and flak get built, the ability of Phoenixes and Hurricanes to hit targets anywhere in a base diminishes. They remain useful for striking targets near the edge, and can be good for softening up a defence line or breaking a hole in it before an attack, but typically need to withdraw (or will be destroyed) after one or two passes.

Because of their bomb scattering attribute, a group of even 5+ Phoenix or Hurricanes can be used to quickly massacre even a moderately fast-moving attack group if it isn't protected by a strong anti-air presence.

====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, gunships, and level 1 fighters. Not so good offensively, though, as they suck at attacking ground targets. They're good at intercepting enemy airstrikes and providing AA defence for the skies over your base or contested territory.

Note that stealth fighters are excellent AA cover for ground assault forces. Because they're stealthy, they can't be picked up on radar and destroyed by [[#Mercury/Screamer|Mercuries/Screamers]] until they actually engage the enemy. By that time, it's usually too late. You will probably lose all of your Hawks/Vamps, but your enemy's air-swarm will also be dead.

====Eagle/Vulture====

A more sophisticated recon plane. Has a longer radar range and carries a real sonar. Information about your enemy's activities is vital for both attack and defence, and the Eagle/Vulture can tell you a lot. Since they're more expensive than the Peeper/Fink, they're less expendable, making them less useful for quick scouting once AA is deployed. Carry flares to improve their survivability against guided missiles.

===Arm Lvl 2 Aircraft===

====Blade====

A gunship with even more armor and an even bigger weapon. They're tough and reasonably fast, making them good support for your assault forces or base defenses once the enemy deploys flak cannons. Hawks/Vamps, Mercuries/Screamers, and Freedom Fighters/Avengers still work well against them.

Because of a Blade's heavy armor, they take only 50% damage from flak guns, in addition to the standard 20% damage reduction for missile attacks on gunships. In short, they're Arm's ultimate high-flying badasses. Like other gunships, they still "chain-explode", making large packs much easier to kill.

====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 Hawks/Vamps and Freedom Fighters/Avengers, 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, or greater amounts of smaller units. Unlike level 1 transports these can be used in an assault role providiing enemy AA isn't incredibly strong. The ability to drop several units into an enemy base is not to be underestimated.

====Stilleto====

A stealthy bomber whose weapon paralyzes targets caught in the blast. Good for softening up a defence line or assault force. These units are highly resiliant against anti-aircraft fire, with a relativley high amount of hitpoints, radar invisibility, and flares to deflect missiles. On the offensive it can be used to disable enemy AA or ground turrets, allowing you to move in a more damaging force. On defence it can disable large amounts of small units, or even the large mechs which have no defence against such aircraft.

===Core Lvl 2 Aircraft===

====Seahook====

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

====Krow====

Flying instagib. With its three heavy, rapid-firing lasers, it will kill anything that isn't protected by heavy AA. Krows are not actually flak-resistant. They simply have a ''lot'' of HP.

==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 Ships and Subs===

====Skeeter/Searcher====

The naval equivalent 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. They are also useful as anti-air for early attacks, before you can get/need the standard AA ships ([[#Archer/Shredder|Archer/Shredder]]).

====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 Ships and Subs===

====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 much more accurate heavy laser. These ships can dominate enemy fleets but are expensive and very weak against submarines and aircraft. 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 sea-borne 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.

==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 Hovercraft===

====Mausser/Navarone====

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

====Swatter/Slinger====

An anti-air 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. Neither can stand up to proper tanks or ships, but they're very good for quick attacks over small bodies of water.

====Wombat/Nixer====

A hovercraft with a vertically-launched artillery rocket. Very similar to the Merl/Diplomat, but with a shorter range, faster fire rate, and lower 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.) These effectively form the tier 3 of aircraft. While the ranks of seaplanes do not include units like Krows or Krogoths, they are far more cost effective, more powerful, generally nimbler, faster, and so on. Seaplane factories can only be built on the water by Advanced Construction Submarines and Aircraft

===Common Lvl 1 Seaplanes===

====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. Carries flares to help protect it against guided missiles.

====Tornado/Voodoo====

Basic fighter seaplane. Similar to the Hawk/Vamp, but not stealthy and with a less powerful air-to-air missile. Although they will generally lose to a Hawk/Vamp in a head-to-head fight, they are far less expensive and faster to build.

====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. About the same general power level as a Brawler/Rapier, but slightly more cost-effective, quick, and nimble. 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/Maelstrom====

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

2006-08-23T16:51:39Z

Egarwaen: /* Commander */ Added note about Commanders and defences.

This is the Practical AA Guide. It has information such as ways to best use units, and things to avoid. To answer more technical questions, such as exactly how much damage per second a weapon is capable of, or precise build costs of a particular unit, you may want to visit the [http://ta-aa.sourceforge.net/modweb Technical AA Guide].

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 in the first few minutes of the game, and destroys any reclaimable wreckage. His laser should be more than enough against small groups of raiders. Whatever you do, '''do not''' D-Gun your own structures or units unless it's that or lose the game.

The Commander has a small but constant auto-repair, which makes him better able to handle fire from raiders and sporadic artillery hits. Note that the Commander takes extra damage from stationary defences and that these defences will usually prioritize him due to his high cost.

==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 Resource Structures===

====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 Collector====

More expensive than a [[#Wind Generator|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 Metal Maker consumes 100e and produces 1m. When building metal makers, always use the [[Metal Maker AI]].

There are also floating versions of this structure, these ae somhat more efficient, consuming 90e and producing 1m.

====Advanced Solar Collector====

The Advanced Solar Generator produces about four times as much energy (75 per tick) as a regular [[#Solar Collector|Solar Collector]], but costs correspondingly more metal and significantly more energy. Their advantage over regular Solar Collectors is that they have a smaller footprint (4x4 instead of 5x5). They cannot close into a more armored form, but they do have more health.

====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.

Geothermal powerplants, much like the level 2 Moho Geothermal Powerplants, have a nasty explosion. Be careful what you build around them since they will be a prime target of opportunity.

Absolute Annihilation gives Arm increased output from geothermal powerplants.

====Energy/Metal Storage====

As the name indicates, these structures provide you with additional energy and metal storage. Since all resource structures in AA come with some 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 usually be using up your metal as fast as you can without stalling. ''However'' if you're reclaiming a lot of things, especially any [[#Commander|Commander]] wreckage laying about, you'll need these in order to make sure you receive all your metal.

===Arm Level 1 Resource Structures===

====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 necessary. Watch out for this when killing them if the enemy has some units nearby, as paralyzed units are easy prey.

===Core Level 1 Resource Structures===

====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 Resource Structures===

====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. Unlike Moho Mines in [[XTA]], they only cost 25 energy to operate. 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.

Absolute Annihilation gives Core slightly better energy output on their fusion plants.

====Moho Metal Maker====

A bigger, better metal maker. Takes much more energy to operate, but produces much more metal, and does so more efficently. 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, wich is the most efficent energy to metal convertor of all.

====Metal Generator====

A structure that provides a steady input of 1m at no cost other than initial construction. 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.

Absolute Annihilation gives Arm a hefty boost to their output from Moho Geothermal Powerplants.

====Advanced Fusion Reactor====

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

Absolute Annihilation gives Core a hefty boost to their Advanced Fusion Reactor's energy output. However, this is somewhat offset by the greater cost a Core player must pay if he or she wants to cloak their reactor.

===Arm Level 2 Resource Structures===

====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. Also, keep in mind that it is has more health than any other powerplant short of the mohofusion, so it can provide a nearly invincible component to your economy.

===Core Level 2 Resource Structures===

====Moho 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. Behemoths have the longest range of any turret except for LRPC/RFLRPCs.

==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. Units firing on radar dots can gain better accuracy if a player or one of his allies builds a radar targeting facility. 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 by either side. Yes, this means that you can't use radar to detect enemy units inside the area of effect of one of your jammers! 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.

In the late game, as more and more of the map gets covered by radar jammers, Dragon's Eyes become one of the most effective ways to keep track of your enemy's activities. They're virtually undectable once built and can't be fooled by radar jamming or stealth, though they still can't see cloaked units.

===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 [[#Bulldog|Bulldogs]] or [[#Goliath|Goliaths]], can drive over Dragon's Teeth, destroying them in the process.

Commanders and construction planes have a speed advantage in building these, as construction bots and vehicles do a small animation whenver they start or finish constructing something. This slows them down significantly on such cheap structures.

These can be used in lines to block an enemy advance. This is useful to prevent fast raiding units from simply rushing past your defences to attack key buildings in the back of your base. They can also be used in small lines or squares surrounding a defensive structure such as a [[#Sentinel/Gaat_Gun_Heavy_Laser_Tower|heavy laser tower]]. This can provide some protection from small units with direct fire weapons such as the [[#Flash/Instigator|Flash tank]].

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

One interesting use of Dragon's Teeth is terrain modification. DTs have a substantially higher "slope tolerance" (the maximum slope they can be built on) than most structures. They can be reclaimed to recover much of the metal that went into their construction. This makes them excellent for "clearing terrain" for building other structures. Just build a single DT or a small block of them, reclaim them, and build on the now-flattened land! This is great for putting up LLTs on hills, but can also be used to place Guardians/Punishers in unexpected locations. (Tip from Felix the Cat)

===Level 1 Defensive Structures===

====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 abbreviated as "LLT". They're good for covering mostly-blocked approaches to your base (like hills), as they can kill most light raiding forces.

A good way to defend against early to mid-game attacks is to build 3 LLTs in a loose cluster at the top of any hills or in choke points. Then build a couple of radar towers behind them to help spot enemies.

Throughout any game, even to the end, LLTs should be built in key areas of your base. They will come in handy in case an enemy slips through your outer perimeter.

====Beamer/Heavy Light Laser Turret (HLLT)====

Designed as a more permanent defensive structure for highly valuable inner-base areas as well as mid-game frontline duty. Beamers shoot a constant beam (get it? eh? eh?) which causes steady damage. This makes it ideal for dealing with attacks from both heavier units like Hammers/Thuds or much lighter units like Fleas, where it can instantly move on to the next target when the first one is destroyed, rather than waiting for a lengthy cool-down period. Probably the most useful function of a beamer is that it slightly outranges an LLT, making it ideal for front-line construction wars. While a Core player must use an HLT to outrange his enemy's LLTs, the Arm player can drop in a Beamer much more quickly that will outrange and destroy the enemy LLTs.

The HLLT, on the other hand, is pretty much just a beefed up LLT. It has two turrets, allowing it to target two enemies simultaneously or concentrate on a single one. They have more than their fair share of hit points.

====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.

====Packo/SAM Anti-air Turret====

These are much more durable than standard missile towers and fire homing missiles quite rapidly. They are good at taking out large number of lighter planes quickly, making them a very effective fighter swarm counter. They will struggle to kill level 2 gunships and bombers unless used in large numbers, making flak cannons and level 2 missile towers a better choice against these units. The Packo can retract into a shielded underground state, largely protecting it from ground attack. The SAM just has more hitpoints.

====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.''

Besides Mercury/Screamer towers, these are the longest-range anti-air units you can build.

These buildings do extra damage against bombers.

====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.

Keep in mind that the HLT has very poor rate-of-fire, so a swarm of fast, light units can easily rush through an HLT-defended line. Because of this it is important to always mix your defenses and include smaller defensive structures.

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 trajectory", which causes it to fire more damaging but highly inaccurate shells with a large area of effect in a high arc, or "Low trajectory", which causes more direct, more accurate, but less powerful shells to be fired. "High trajectory" should be preferred for bombardment, while "Low trajectory" should be used during defensive action unless targetting extremely-slow units. "High trajectory" will lead the target, so attacks of fast units can trick the Guardian into leading so far that it will fire into your own base.

Note that this defense does '''double damage vs. naval units'''. As such, it is a crucial resource in mixed land-water maps. "Low trajectory" should be preferred when attacking aquatic targets.

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.

These do extra damage against amphibious units, and are therefore a good choice for defending a shoreline against a "fully submerged" opponent.

====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.

====Dargon's Claw/Dragon's Maw====

These are stealthy defensive structures (really stationary units) that can disguise themselves as Dragon's Teeth. When disguised, they can take significant amounts of damage, just like any "pop-up" weapon. If an enemy wanders into range, they'll reveal themselves and attack with a short-ranged lightning cannon (Arm) or flamethrower (Core). When destroyed, they leave behind ordinary Dragon's Teeth.

===Level 2 Defensive Structures===

====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 or nuclear weapons.

Currently does '''triple damage to naval units''' so it should be preferred over the L1 plasma cannons in naval maps.

====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 totally under water, and so can only be targeted 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 must be constructed before launch) all the way across any map, each of which can destroy a substantial portion of an enemy base. Very few things (such as specialized structures that are in an armoured state by default) can survive a nuke blast, though the missiles can be easily intercepted by Protectors/Fortitudes.

====Juno====

The Juno is a much more limited ballistic 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 sheild that stops all manner of plasma weapons, gauss shells, and EMG fire, but it 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.

The sheild needs to be charged to stop shells, you can determine it's level of charge by how the sheild appears, a barely visible sheild has no or very low charge whereas a bright white sheild is fully charged. The sheild consumes energy to charge.

The sheild can hold it's onw for quite a while against VLRPCs, bur RFVLRPCS can bring them down near instantly.

====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. A cluster of these structures packed into a chokepoint or lined up in front of some Annihilators/Doomsday Machines can do quite a lot of damage. When not in use, they fold away into a concrete bunker, making them effectively immune to long-range artillery and even nuke strikes.

===Arm Level 2 Defensive Structures===

====Detonator====

The Detonator fires ballistic EMP missiles that paralyze units caught inside the blast. Their projectiles cannot be intercepted, making them very good at "preparing" enemy defensive structures or units for an attack. Like nukes and anti-nukes, the Detonator must build each shot before it can be used.

===Core Level 2 Defensive Structures===

====Inferno====

Wide-arc flamethrower. Good against swarms or for use in conjunction with several other Infernos against bigger units, or simply as one more extra support turret in a massively fortified front line.

====Catalyst====

A short-range tactical nuke launcher. The Catalyst's ballistic missile cannot be intercepted by anti-nukes but do significantly less damage than full-sized nukes. This makes them poor at destroying bases, but very good at softening up an enemy defensive line before an attack.

==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 KBots===

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====

Slightly 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 have a long range but 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 are shorter-ranged than Rocko/Storm rockets, but can 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. They're generally useless when compared to other forms of anti-air, so should only be used if you have no other option for mobile anti-air. Otherwise, prefer the static structures, or fighters, or flak tanks.

===Arm Lvl 1 KBots===

====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 KBots===

The Core has no unique Level 1 KBots.

===Common Lvl 2 KBots===

====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-conceived 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 reanimated corpses of the enemy's attack force into your service to supplement 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 useful for getting past an enemy's defences.

Take note that they are extremely small targets moving at a substantial speed so most non-beam-weapons will miss them.

===Arm Lvl 2 KBots===

====Fido====

A very average level 2 KBot. Weaker than a [[#Zeus|Zeus]] or [[#Maverick|Maverick]] but faster and cheaper. Versatile but not particularly good at any one thing. The Fido has two fire modes, which can be toggled by switching its "Active State" between "On" and "Off". The default uses a long-range, slow-firing direct-fire gauss cannon. It's fairly accurate but relatively low-damage. The "Ballistic Cannon" mode fires a less-accurate shell that travels in a higher, ballistic arc, allowing it to fire over other units, Dragon's Teeth, and hills.

====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. Average durability and speed for an L2 unit, but capable of doing impressive damage. It destroys L1 units and light defences with ease. The Maverick also auto-repairs in combat and has a longer visual range than most units, making one or two good "spotters" for a unit of other KBots.

====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, provided you have something to soak up enemy fire while the Sharpshooters do their work.

====Recluse====

A spider KBot that can climb up almost anything. Can cause nightmares for unprepared opponents 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.

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. Even on open ground, the paralyzer weapon makes it an excellent unit to mix in with an assault force, as a couple of shots can take an enemy unit out of the battle for a few seconds, and will probably focus all the enemy's fire on the Spider.

====Scarab====

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.

===Core Lvl 2 KBots===

====Pyro====

Core's level 2 [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/wiki/Swarming swarm]/assault unit unit. Halfway between a Zipper and a Zeus in toughness and speed. 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. Generally, you'll want to back these up with Cans.

====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. Longer weapon range and more power, as well as a much faster fire rate. 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. Good at countering light Level 3 KBots. Like the Can, it has a combat auto-repair.

====Morty====

A support KBot with a very big gun. Has a long range and fires fast, 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 torpedoes 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 or Raiders near the front lines to reinforce your assault force can be very effective!

====Dominator====

Another artillery support KBot, the Dominator fires vertically-launched rockets. These are only slightly longer-ranged 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, but it can cloak too. Combined with radar jamming, a Skuttle can blast an impressive hole in even the toughest defences.

====Leejen====

A light and fast but totally unarmed scout KBot. Cheap unit, good for scouting ahead of a force for things like stealth units, mines, and enemy defences. Has a very short-ranged radar for spotting cloaked units, etc.

===Common Lvl 3 KBots===

====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 Annihilators/Doomsday Machines, 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, or a few Sumos, though it can outrun the Sumos.

====Marauder====

A medium amphibious assault unit. Very fast moving on land, and can be 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 bypass enemy defences.

====Aegis====

A mobile EMP ballistic missile 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 KBots===

====Krogoth====

An [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/wiki/Uberweapon Uberweapon]. Costs absurd amounts of resources. Slightly more powerful and tougher than the Orcone, and features a shotgun-style blaster which is ideal for concentrated fire on a single heavy target or spread fire over a swarm of lesser units.

====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 vulnerable 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. Juggernauts have a lot of hit points, so they can also be used as a sort of "rolling front line". Should ideally have a group of support construction units for when its job is done and it's lost a lot of health.

====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. In groups of three or more, these can tear apart an enemy base in as little as 60 seconds. They should be guarded well by units such as Sumos, Cans, and Karganeths.

==Vehicles==

Vehicles use wheels or tracks to move. They're generaly fast, 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 Vehicles===

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 equivalent 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.

====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 equivalent 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 fair 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 (to their peril).

===Arm Lvl 1 Vehicles===

====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 Vehicles===

====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 Vehicles===

====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 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. They are slower than other forms of mobile artillery but tougher, making them good at assaulting enemy defensive structures.

====Triton/Croc====

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. The usual limitations of amphibious units apply.

====Bulldog/Reaper====

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

===Arm Lvl 2 Vehicles===

====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, especially once L3 units start rolling out. 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 and Zeus. These can be used to construct front-line reinforcements or even, with the help of jammers, construct an entire attack force for use against an unwary opponent.

===Core Lvl 2 Vehicles===

====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. While expensive, a force of goliaths can do very impressive damage and can be very difficult to stop, especially since it auto-repairs even during combat. 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.

====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. Its shots have a fairly large scatter, making them great at wiping out clustered defences or resource buildings.

====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.

==Aircraft==

Aircraft are airborne combat units. They're fast, can cross any terrain, but can take very little damage. Most aircraft are specialized, and designed for a specific task. Against units not built specifically to counter them, aircraft are very effective. Against anti-air units, they are at a significant disadvantage. Generally air units are not a base busting assault weapon, but anyone who assumes that they are useless will play at a significant disadvantage. Aircraft can be put to several uses, even in the late game:

Scouting: You've built a [[#Big Bertha/Intimidator|VLRPC]] (or ten). The sounds of each successive shell exploding in your enemy's base is slowly ratcheting up the pressure. But how do you know whether the pride of your army is destroying important enemy buildings, or killing peewees and solar collectors? Build some airplanes and have a look. You can then aim your Big Bertha at a worthy target. If your enemies build LRPCs, but only one player builds planes, guess who will find and destroy the opposing LRPCs first?

A few light aircraft can also be a great investment ahead of a ground attack. You can spot holes in the defence to aim for or unexpected resistance to retreat from before taking losses. They can provide line of sight for long range artillery to start pounding opposing defences. And what is that blob of units coming towards you on the radar? A plane can tell you if its 20 peewees or 20 goliaths. Any empty space on the map? Send a plane to scout at random intervals; you might find and prevent an opponent preparing a nasty surprise under cover of a radar jammer.

In general terms, scout aircraft are invaluable, as they're a very reliable mechanism for gathering precise information about the battlefield, even through heavy radar jamming and enemy fire.

Overwhelming: Focus efforts on building a large devestating force of bombers or gunships. With enough effort or against an unsuspecting victim, you may create a large enough air attack to devestate a base with insufficient anti-air defence. If your opponent ''does'' build enough anti-air defences, the setback to your economy from this effort will be serious.

Defence: An often overlooked aspect of aircraft is their use for base defence. They have the advantage of being able to intercept an attack from any direction quickly. If the attack force does not include a significant anti air componenent, your planes can attack while taking very little damage in return. [[#Hawk/Vamp|Hawks/Vamps]] are particularly good at this, and while they're unlikely to do fatal damage to ground units, they're excellent at intercepting and destroying enemy airstrikes. Level 2 bombers and gunships can provide a more adiquate dfence against ground assaults. A few Arm Stilletos, for instance, can provide an effective defence against nearly any attack.

Strategic strikes: Sometimes your opponent has a key building you badly want to destroy. It might be a [[#Retaliator/Silencer|nuclear silo]], [[#Protector/Fortitude|nuclear defence]], or a [[#Vulcan/Buzzsaw|rapid fire LRPC]]. Perhaps a [[#Moho Geothermal Powerplant|moho geothermal]], or [[#Advanced Fusion Reactor|advanced fusion]] that could take half the base with it if you can kill it. Or a [[#Commander|Commander]]. A determined bombing assault can often do the trick. Air has an unequaled ability to rapidly move and concentrate force to attack a key location. Just make sure the target is worth the effort, as in most games the planes that will get destroyed by anti-air in such a strike will represent a significant investment of resources. You'll need to use ground forces to capitalize on the strike.

All aircraft have a limited-range sonar, allowing them to see submerged units immediately under them. Aircraft generally cost larger amounts of energy, and lower amounts of metal when compared with other units. This can energy stall an unprepared player who tries to build an air force too early in the game. Aircraft also take a long time to build. Building an Air Factory as your first factory is a high-risk move guaranteed to slow down economic expansion drastrically.

===Common Lvl 1 Aircraft===

====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. Carries flares to reduce the effectiveness of guided AA weapons. They're best used as scouts, to spot targets for long-range artillery or attack forces. As they're cheap, fast, airborne, carry radar, and have a good sight range, Peepers and Finks are among the best scouts in the game. It's almost always worth building an L1 Aircraft Plant even if you only use it for building these.

====Freedom Fighter/Avenger====

A basic fighter aircraft. Fast and maneuverable, but can't take much damage. Carries a homing missile that can attack ground or air targets. Although they're not specifically designed for it, a group of 20-30 of these can be quickly and cheaply built in the late game to harass enemy units to great effect. Great against level 1 aircraft, and useful against level 2 aircraft and ground units if built in a large enough swarm. They are also extremely effective against gunships of all kinds.

An effective tactic can be to slowly assemble a group of these and then use them to raid your enemy's resources; from then on, he'll be forced to build extensive anti-air even if you don't plan on ever using air again. If your enemy is spending half his resources to defend against an attack that's not coming....

====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, but if you can find an opening in the enemy's anti-aircraft defences, a quick raid with air transports could exploit it very effectively. Even against moderate AA, a swarm of Atlases (20-ish) will often be able to drop off at least a few units behind enemy lines before they die.

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 Aircraft===

====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 damage, 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 vulnerable to flak.

As with all gunships, banshees take slightly (~20%) reduced damage from missiles compared to other types of aircraft.

===Core Lvl 1 Aircraft===

====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 paralysing serious threats. It can hover, allowing it to attack slow-moving or stationary ground units very effectively but making it vulnerable to flak.

Many Core players have gone on the record to say that the only reason they like Core so much is the Bladewing. With its ability to temporarily remove any one unit from a fight, you can effectively take the wind out of your enemy's sails if that one unit is, for instance, a Bantha.

Be aware that superweapons and Commanders are nigh-invulnerable to paralyzer weapons. Concentrated fire may temporarily stun them, but they'll be back in action practically the instant you stop firing.

===Common Lvl 2 Aircraft===

====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 AA in general and flak in particular. Before the enemy has significant flak defences, Brawlers and Rapiers are viable for assaults. After that point, they're best used to raid areas of the enemy base lacking flak for whatever reason, or harass assault forces that have insufficient AA cover. These are also fairly supicable to fighters, especialy when traveling to or from a target.

Be aware that Brawlers and Rapiers do significant damage to other gunships in the area when they explode. This means that, beyond about 15-20 gunships, additional gunships won't actually contribute much to a swarm's effectiveness. If you do find yourself with more than this, split them up into multiple groups.

====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, regardless of what it is. 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.

As advanced missile towers and flak get built, the ability of Phoenixes and Hurricanes to hit targets anywhere in a base diminishes. They remain useful for striking targets near the edge, and can be good for softening up a defence line or breaking a hole in it before an attack, but typically need to withdraw (or will be destroyed) after one or two passes.

Because of their bomb scattering attribute, a group of even 5+ Phoenix or Hurricanes can be used to quickly massacre even a moderately fast-moving attack group if it isn't protected by a strong anti-air presence.

====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, gunships, and level 1 fighters. Not so good offensively, though, as they suck at attacking ground targets. They're good at intercepting enemy airstrikes and providing AA defence for the skies over your base or contested territory.

Note that stealth fighters are excellent AA cover for ground assault forces. Because they're stealthy, they can't be picked up on radar and destroyed by [[#Mercury/Screamer|Mercuries/Screamers]] until they actually engage the enemy. By that time, it's usually too late. You will probably lose all of your Hawks/Vamps, but your enemy's air-swarm will also be dead.

====Eagle/Vulture====

A more sophisticated recon plane. Has a longer radar range and carries a real sonar. Information about your enemy's activities is vital for both attack and defence, and the Eagle/Vulture can tell you a lot. Since they're more expensive than the Peeper/Fink, they're less expendable, making them less useful for quick scouting once AA is deployed. Carry flares to improve their survivability against guided missiles.

===Arm Lvl 2 Aircraft===

====Blade====

A gunship with even more armor and an even bigger weapon. They're tough and reasonably fast, making them good support for your assault forces or base defenses once the enemy deploys flak cannons. Hawks/Vamps, Mercuries/Screamers, and Freedom Fighters/Avengers still work well against them.

Because of a Blade's heavy armor, they take only 50% damage from flak guns, in addition to the standard 20% damage reduction for missile attacks on gunships. In short, they're Arm's ultimate high-flying badasses. Like other gunships, they still "chain-explode", making large packs much easier to kill.

====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 Hawks/Vamps and Freedom Fighters/Avengers, 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, or greater amounts of smaller units. Unlike level 1 transports these can be used in an assault role providiing enemy AA isn't incredibly strong. The ability to drop several units into an enemy base is not to be underestimated.

====Stilleto====

A stealthy bomber whose weapon paralyzes targets caught in the blast. Good for softening up a defence line or assault force. These units are highly resiliant against anti-aircraft fire, with a relativley high amount of hitpoints, radar invisibility, and flares to deflect missiles. On the offensive it can be used to disable enemy AA or ground turrets, allowing you to move in a more damaging force. On defence it can disable large amounts of small units, or even the large mechs which have no defence against such aircraft.

===Core Lvl 2 Aircraft===

====Seahook====

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

====Krow====

Flying instagib. With its three heavy, rapid-firing lasers, it will kill anything that isn't protected by heavy AA. Krows are not actually flak-resistant. They simply have a ''lot'' of HP.

==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 Ships and Subs===

====Skeeter/Searcher====

The naval equivalent 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. They are also useful as anti-air for early attacks, before you can get/need the standard AA ships ([[#Archer/Shredder|Archer/Shredder]]).

====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 Ships and Subs===

====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 much more accurate heavy laser. These ships can dominate enemy fleets but are expensive and very weak against submarines and aircraft. 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 sea-borne 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.

==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 Hovercraft===

====Mausser/Navarone====

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

====Swatter/Slinger====

An anti-air 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. Neither can stand up to proper tanks or ships, but they're very good for quick attacks over small bodies of water.

====Wombat/Nixer====

A hovercraft with a vertically-launched artillery rocket. Very similar to the Merl/Diplomat, but with a shorter range, faster fire rate, and lower 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.) These effectively form the tier 3 of aircraft. While the ranks of seaplanes do not include units like Krows or Krogoths, they are far more cost effective, more powerful, generally nimbler, faster, and so on. Seaplane factories can only be built on the water by Advanced Construction Submarines and Aircraft

===Common Lvl 1 Seaplanes===

====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. Carries flares to help protect it against guided missiles.

====Tornado/Voodoo====

Basic fighter seaplane. Similar to the Hawk/Vamp, but not stealthy and with a less powerful air-to-air missile. Although they will generally lose to a Hawk/Vamp in a head-to-head fight, they are far less expensive and faster to build.

====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. About the same general power level as a Brawler/Rapier, but slightly more cost-effective, quick, and nimble. 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/Maelstrom====

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

2006-07-11T17:43:55Z

Egarwaen: /* Krow */ More clarity edits.

This is the Practical AA Guide. It has information such as ways to best use units, and things to avoid. To answer more technical questions, such as exactly how much damage per second a weapon is capable of, or precise build costs of a particular unit, you may want to visit the [http://ta-aa.sourceforge.net/modweb Technical AA Guide].

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 in the first few minutes of the game, and destroys any reclaimable wreckage. His laser should be more than enough against small groups of raiders. Whatever you do, '''do not''' D-Gun your own structures or units unless it's that or lose the game.

The Commander has a small but constant auto-repair, which makes him better able to handle fire from raiders and sporadic artillery hits.

==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 Resource Structures===

====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 Collector====

More expensive than a [[#Wind Generator|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 Metal Maker consumes 100e and produces 1m. When building metal makers, always use the [[Metal Maker AI]].

There are also floating versions of this structure, these ae somhat more efficient, consuming 90e and producing 1m.

====Advanced Solar Collector====

The Advanced Solar Generator produces about four times as much energy (75 per tick) as a regular [[#Solar Collector|Solar Collector]], but costs correspondingly more metal and significantly more energy. Their advantage over regular Solar Collectors is that they have a smaller footprint (4x4 instead of 5x5). They cannot close into a more armored form, but they do have more health.

====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.

Geothermal powerplants, much like the level 2 Moho Geothermal Powerplants, have a nasty explosion. Be careful what you build around them since they will be a prime target of opportunity.

Absolute Annihilation gives Arm increased output from geothermal powerplants.

====Energy/Metal Storage====

As the name indicates, these structures provide you with additional energy and metal storage. Since all resource structures in AA come with some 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 usually be using up your metal as fast as you can without stalling. ''However'' if you're reclaiming a lot of things, especially any [[#Commander|Commander]] wreckage laying about, you'll need these in order to make sure you receive all your metal.

===Arm Level 1 Resource Structures===

====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 necessary. Watch out for this when killing them if the enemy has some units nearby, as paralyzed units are easy prey.

===Core Level 1 Resource Structures===

====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 Resource Structures===

====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. Unlike Moho Mines in [[XTA]], they only cost 25 energy to operate. 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.

Absolute Annihilation gives Core slightly better energy output on their fusion plants.

====Moho Metal Maker====

A bigger, better metal maker. Takes much more energy to operate, but produces much more metal, and does so more efficently. 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, wich is the most efficent energy to metal convertor of all.

====Metal Generator====

A structure that provides a steady input of 1m at no cost other than initial construction. 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.

Absolute Annihilation gives Arm a hefty boost to their output from Moho Geothermal Powerplants.

====Advanced Fusion Reactor====

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

Absolute Annihilation gives Core a hefty boost to their Advanced Fusion Reactor's energy output. However, this is somewhat offset by the greater cost a Core player must pay if he or she wants to cloak their reactor.

===Arm Level 2 Resource Structures===

====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 Resource Structures===

====Moho 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. Behemoths have the longest range of any structure except for LRPC/RFLRPCs.

==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. Units firing on radar dots can gain better accuracy if a player or one of his allies builds a radar targeting facility. 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 by either side. Yes, this means that you can't use radar to detect enemy units inside the area of effect of one of your jammers! 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.

In the late game, as more and more of the map gets covered by radar jammers, Dragon's Eyes become one of the most effective ways to keep track of your enemy's activities. They're virtually undectable once built and can't be fooled by radar jamming or stealth, though they still can't see cloaked units.

===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 [[#Bulldog|Bulldogs]] or [[#Goliath|Goliaths]], can drive over Dragon's Teeth, destroying them in the process.

Commanders and construction planes have a speed advantage in building these, as construction bots and vehicles do a small animation whenver they start or finish constructing something. This slows them down significantly on such cheap structures.

These can be used in lines to block an enemy advance. This is useful to prevent fast raiding units from simply rushing past your defences to attack key buildings in the back of your base. They can also be used in small lines or squares surrounding a defensive structure such as a [[#Sentinel/Gaat_Gun_Heavy_Laser_Tower|heavy laser tower]]. This can provide some protection from small units with direct fire weapons such as the [[#Flash/Instigator|Flash tank]].

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

One interesting use of Dragon's Teeth is terrain modification. DTs have a substantially higher "slope tolerance" (the maximum slope they can be built on) than most structures. They can be reclaimed to recover much of the metal that went into their construction. This makes them excellent for "clearing terrain" for building other structures. Just build a single DT or a small block of them, reclaim them, and build on the now-flattened land! This is great for putting up LLTs on hills, but can also be used to place Guardians/Punishers in unexpected locations. (Tip from Felix the Cat)

===Level 1 Defensive Structures===

====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 abbreviated as "LLT". They're good for covering mostly-blocked approaches to your base (like hills), as they can kill most light raiding forces.

A good way to defend against early to mid-game attacks is to build 3 LLTs in a loose cluster at the top of any hills or in choke points. Then build a couple of radar towers behind them to help spot enemies.

Throughout any game, even to the end, LLTs should be built in key areas of your base. They will come in handy in case an enemy slips through your outer perimeter.

====Beamer/Heavy Light Laser Turret (HLLT)====

Designed as a more permanent defensive structure for highly valuable inner-base areas as well as mid-game frontline duty. Beamers shoot a constant beam (get it? eh? eh?) which causes steady damage. This makes it ideal for dealing with attacks from both heavier units like Hammers/Thuds or much lighter units like Fleas, where it can instantly move on to the next target when the first one is destroyed, rather than waiting for a lengthy cool-down period. These also have a slightly longer range than vanilla LLTs.

The HLLT, on the other hand, is pretty much just a beefed up LLT. It has two turrets, allowing it to target two enemies simultaneously or concentrate on a single one. They have more than their fair share of hit points.

====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.

====Packo/SAM Anti-air Turret====

These are much more durable than standard missile towers and fire homing missiles quite rapidly. They are good at taking out large number of lighter planes quickly, making them a very effective fighter swarm counter. They will struggle to kill level 2 gunships and bombers unless used in large numbers, making flak cannons and level 2 missile towers a better choice against these units. The Packo can retract into a shielded underground state, largely protecting it from ground attack. The SAM just has more hitpoints.

====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.''

Besides Mercury/Screamer towers, these are the longest-range anti-air units you can build.

These buildings do extra damage against bombers.

====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 trajectory", which causes it to fire more damaging but highly inaccurate shells with a large area of effect in a high arc, or "Low trajectory", 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.

These do extra damage against amphibious units, and are therefore a good choice for defending a shoreline against a "fully submerged" opponent.

====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.

====Dargon's Claw/Dragon's Maw====

These are stealthy defensive structures (really stationary units) that can disguise themselves as Dragon's Teeth. When disguised, they can take significant amounts of damage, just like any "pop-up" weapon. If an enemy wanders into range, they'll reveal themselves and attack with a short-ranged lightning cannon (Arm) or flamethrower (Core). When destroyed, they leave behind ordinary Dragon's Teeth.

===Level 2 Defensive Structures===

====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 or nuclear weapons.

====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 totally under water, and so can only be targeted 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 must be constructed before launch) all the way across any map, each of which can destroy a substantial portion of an enemy base. Very few things (such as specialized structures that are in an armoured state by default) can survive a nuke blast, though the missiles can be easily intercepted by Protectors/Fortitudes.

====Juno====

The Juno is a much more limited ballistic 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 sheild that stops all manner of plasma weapons, gauss shells, and EMG fire, but it 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.

The sheild needs to be charged to stop shells, you can determine it's level of charge by how the sheild appears, a barely visible sheild has no or very low charge whereas a bright white sheild is fully charged. The sheild consumes energy to charge.

The sheild can hold it's onw for quite a while against VLRPCs, bur RFVLRPCS can bring them down near instantly.

====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. A cluster of these structures packed into a chokepoint or lined up in front of some Annihilators/Doomsday Machines can do quite a lot of damage. When not in use, they fold away into a concrete bunker, making them effectively immune to long-range artillery and even nuke strikes.

===Arm Level 2 Defensive Structures===

====Detonator====

The Detonator fires ballistic EMP missiles that paralyze units caught inside the blast. Their projectiles cannot be intercepted, making them very good at "preparing" enemy defensive structures or units for an attack. Like nukes and anti-nukes, the Detonator must build each shot before it can be used.

===Core Level 2 Defensive Structures===

====Inferno====

Wide-arc flamethrower. Good against swarms or for use in conjunction with several other Infernos against bigger units, or simply as one more extra support turret in a massively fortified front line.

====Catalyst====

A short-range tactical nuke launcher. The Catalyst's ballistic missile cannot be intercepted by anti-nukes but do significantly less damage than full-sized nukes. This makes them poor at destroying bases, but very good at softening up an enemy defensive line before an attack.

==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 KBots===

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====

Slightly 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 have a long range but 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 are shorter-ranged than Rocko/Storm rockets, but can 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 KBots===

====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 KBots===

The Core has no unique Level 1 KBots.

===Common Lvl 2 KBots===

====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-conceived 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 reanimated corpses of the enemy's attack force into your service to supplement 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 useful for getting past an enemy's defences.

===Arm Lvl 2 KBots===

====Fido====

A very average level 2 KBot. Weaker than a [[#Zeus|Zeus]] or [[#Maverick|Maverick]] but faster and cheaper. Versatile but not particularly good at any one thing. The Fido has two fire modes, which can be toggled by switching its "Active State" between "On" and "Off". The default uses a long-range, slow-firing direct-fire gauss cannon. It's fairly accurate but relatively low-damage. The "Ballistic Cannon" mode fires a less-accurate shell that travels in a higher, ballistic arc, allowing it to fire over other units, Dragon's Teeth, and hills.

====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. Average durability and speed for an L2 unit, but capable of doing impressive damage. It destroys L1 units and light defences with ease. The Maverick also auto-repairs in combat and has a longer visual range than most units, making one or two good "spotters" for a unit of other KBots.

====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, provided you have something to soak up enemy fire while the Sharpshooters do their work.

====Recluse====

A spider KBot that can climb up almost anything. Can cause nightmares for unprepared opponents 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.

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. Even on open ground, the paralyzer weapon makes it an excellent unit to mix in with an assault force, as a couple of shots can take an enemy unit out of the battle for a few seconds, and will probably focus all the enemy's fire on the Spider.

====Scarab====

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.

===Core Lvl 2 KBots===

====Pyro====

Core's level 2 [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/wiki/Swarming swarm]/assault unit unit. Halfway between a Zipper and a Zeus in toughness and speed. 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. Generally, you'll want to back these up with Cans.

====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. Longer weapon range and more power, as well as a much faster fire rate. 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. Good at countering light Level 3 KBots. Like the Can, it has a combat auto-repair.

====Morty====

A support KBot with a very big gun. Has a long range and fires fast, 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 torpedoes 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 or Raiders near the front lines to reinforce your assault force can be very effective!

====Dominator====

Another artillery support KBot, the Dominator fires vertically-launched rockets. These are only slightly longer-ranged 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, but it can cloak too. Combined with radar jamming, a Skuttle can blast an impressive hole in even the toughest defences.

====Leejen====

A light and fast but totally unarmed scout KBot. Cheap unit, good for scouting ahead of a force for things like stealth units, mines, and enemy defences. Has a very short-ranged radar for spotting cloaked units, etc.

===Common Lvl 3 KBots===

====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 Annihilators/Doomsday Machines, 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, or a few Sumos, though it can outrun the Sumos.

====Marauder====

A medium amphibious assault unit. Very fast moving on land, and can be 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 bypass enemy defences.

====Aegis====

A mobile EMP ballistic missile 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 KBots===

====Krogoth====

An [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/wiki/Uberweapon Uberweapon]. Costs absurd amounts of resources. Slightly more powerful and tougher than the Orcone, and features a shotgun-style blaster which is ideal for concentrated fire on a single heavy target or spread fire over a swarm of lesser units.

====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 vulnerable 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. Juggernauts have a lot of hit points, so they can also be used as a sort of "rolling front line". Should ideally have a group of support construction units for when its job is done and it's lost a lot of health.

====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. In groups of three or more, these can tear apart an enemy base in as little as 60 seconds. They should be guarded well by units such as Sumos, Cans, and Karganeths.

==Vehicles==

Vehicles use wheels or tracks to move. They're generaly fast, 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 Vehicles===

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 equivalent 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.

====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 equivalent 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 fair 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 (to their peril).

===Arm Lvl 1 Vehicles===

====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 Vehicles===

====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 Vehicles===

====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 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. They are slower than other forms of mobile artillery but tougher, making them good at assaulting enemy defensive structures.

====Triton/Croc====

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. The usual limitations of amphibious units apply.

====Bulldog/Reaper====

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

===Arm Lvl 2 Vehicles===

====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, especially once L3 units start rolling out. 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 and Zeus. These can be used to construct front-line reinforcements or even, with the help of jammers, construct an entire attack force for use against an unwary opponent.

===Core Lvl 2 Vehicles===

====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. While expensive, a force of goliaths can do very impressive damage and can be very difficult to stop, especially since it auto-repairs even during combat. 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.

====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. Its shots have a fairly large scatter, making them great at wiping out clustered defences or resource buildings.

====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.

==Aircraft==

Aircraft are airborne combat units. They're fast, can cross any terrain, but can take very little damage. Most aircraft are specialized, and designed for a specific task. Against units not built specifically to counter them, aircraft are very effective. Against anti-air units, they are at a significant disadvantage. Generally air units are not a base busting assault weapon, but anyone who assumes that they are useless will play at a significant disadvantage. Aircraft can be put to several uses, even in the late game:

Scouting: You've built a [[#Big Bertha/Intimidator|VLRPC]] (or ten). The sounds of each successive shell exploding in your enemy's base is slowly ratcheting up the pressure. But how do you know whether the pride of your army is destroying important enemy buildings, or killing peewees and solar collectors? Build some airplanes and have a look. You can then aim your Big Bertha at a worthy target. If your enemies build LRPCs, but only one player builds planes, guess who will find and destroy the opposing LRPCs first?

A few light aircraft can also be a great investment ahead of a ground attack. You can spot holes in the defence to aim for or unexpected resistance to retreat from before taking losses. They can provide line of sight for long range artillery to start pounding opposing defences. And what is that blob of units coming towards you on the radar? A plane can tell you if its 20 peewees or 20 goliaths. Any empty space on the map? Send a plane to scout at random intervals; you might find and prevent an opponent preparing a nasty surprise under cover of a radar jammer.

In general terms, scout aircraft are invaluable, as they're a very reliable mechanism for gathering precise information about the battlefield, even through heavy radar jamming and enemy fire.

Overwhelming: Focus efforts on building a large devestating force of bombers or gunships. With enough effort or against an unsuspecting victim, you may create a large enough air attack to devestate a base with insufficient anti-air defence. If your opponent ''does'' build enough anti-air defences, the setback to your economy from this effort will be serious.

Defence: An often overlooked aspect of aircraft is their use for base defence. They have the advantage of being able to intercept an attack from any direction quickly. If the attack force does not include a significant anti air componenent, your planes can attack while taking very little damage in return. [[#Hawk/Vamp|Hawks/Vamps]] are particularly good at this, and while they're unlikely to do fatal damage to ground units, they're excellent at intercepting and destroying enemy airstrikes. Level 2 bombers and gunships can provide a more adiquate dfence against ground assaults. A few Arm Stilletos, for instance, can provide an effective defence against nearly any attack.

Strategic strikes: Sometimes your opponent has a key building you badly want to destroy. It might be a [[#Retaliator/Silencer|nuclear silo]], [[#Protector/Fortitude|nuclear defence]], or a [[#Vulcan/Buzzsaw|rapid fire LRPC]]. Perhaps a [[#Moho Geothermal Powerplant|moho geothermal]], or [[#Advanced Fusion Reactor|advanced fusion]] that could take half the base with it if you can kill it. Or a [[#Commander|Commander]]. A determined bombing assault can often do the trick. Air has an unequaled ability to rapidly move and concentrate force to attack a key location. Just make sure the target is worth the effort, as in most games the planes that will get destroyed by anti-air in such a strike will represent a significant investment of resources. You'll need to use ground forces to capitalize on the strike.

All aircraft have a limited-range sonar, allowing them to see submerged units immediately under them. Aircraft generally cost larger amounts of energy, and lower amounts of metal when compared with other units. This can energy stall an unprepared player who tries to build an air force too early in the game. Aircraft also take a long time to build. Building an Air Factory as your first factory is a high-risk move guaranteed to slow down economic expansion drastrically.

===Common Lvl 1 Aircraft===

====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. Carries flares to reduce the effectiveness of guided AA weapons. They're best used as scouts, to spot targets for long-range artillery or attack forces. As they're cheap, fast, airborne, carry radar, and have a good sight range, Peepers and Finks are among the best scouts in the game. It's almost always worth building an L1 Aircraft Plant even if you only use it for building these.

====Freedom Fighter/Avenger====

A basic fighter aircraft. Fast and maneuverable, but can't take much damage. Carries a homing missile that can attack ground or air targets. Although they're not specifically designed for it, a group of 20-30 of these can be quickly and cheaply built in the late game to harass enemy units to great effect. Great against level 1 aircraft, and useful against level 2 aircraft and ground units if built in a large enough swarm. They are also extremely effective against gunships of all kinds.

An effective tactic can be to slowly assemble a group of these and then use them to raid your enemy's resources; from then on, he'll be forced to build extensive anti-air even if you don't plan on ever using air again. If your enemy is spending half his resources to defend against an attack that's not coming....

====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, but if you can find an opening in the enemy's anti-aircraft defences, a quick raid with air transports could exploit it very effectively. Even against moderate AA, a swarm of Atlases (20-ish) will often be able to drop off at least a few units behind enemy lines before they die.

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 Aircraft===

====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 damage, 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 vulnerable to flak.

As with all gunships, banshees take slightly (~20%) reduced damage from missiles compared to other types of aircraft.

===Core Lvl 1 Aircraft===

====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 paralysing serious threats. It can hover, allowing it to attack slow-moving or stationary ground units very effectively but making it vulnerable to flak.

Many Core players have gone on the record to say that the only reason they like Core so much is the Bladewing. With its ability to temporarily remove any one unit from a fight, you can effectively take the wind out of your enemy's sails if that one unit is, for instance, a Bantha.

Be aware that superweapons and Commanders are nigh-invulnerable to paralyzer weapons. Concentrated fire may temporarily stun them, but they'll be back in action practically the instant you stop firing.

===Common Lvl 2 Aircraft===

====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 AA in general and flak in particular. Before the enemy has significant flak defences, Brawlers and Rapiers are viable for assaults. After that point, they're best used to raid areas of the enemy base lacking flak for whatever reason, or harass assault forces that have insufficient AA cover. These are also fairly supicable to fighters, especialy when traveling to or from a target.

Be aware that Brawlers and Rapiers do significant damage to other gunships in the area when they explode. This means that, beyond about 15-20 gunships, additional gunships won't actually contribute much to a swarm's effectiveness. If you do find yourself with more than this, split them up into multiple groups.

====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, regardless of what it is. 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.

As advanced missile towers and flak get built, the ability of Phoenixes and Hurricanes to hit targets anywhere in a base diminishes. They remain useful for striking targets near the edge, and can be good for softening up a defence line or breaking a hole in it before an attack, but typically need to withdraw (or will be destroyed) after one or two passes.

Because of their bomb scattering attribute, a group of even 5+ Phoenix or Hurricanes can be used to quickly massacre even a moderately fast-moving attack group if it isn't protected by a strong anti-air presence.

====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, gunships, and level 1 fighters. Not so good offensively, though, as they suck at attacking ground targets. They're good at intercepting enemy airstrikes and providing AA defence for the skies over your base or contested territory.

Note that stealth fighters are excellent AA cover for ground assault forces. Because they're stealthy, they can't be picked up on radar and destroyed by [[#Mercury/Screamer|Mercuries/Screamers]] until they actually engage the enemy. By that time, it's usually too late. You will probably lose all of your Hawks/Vamps, but your enemy's air-swarm will also be dead.

====Eagle/Vulture====

A more sophisticated recon plane. Has a longer radar range and carries a real sonar. Information about your enemy's activities is vital for both attack and defence, and the Eagle/Vulture can tell you a lot. Since they're more expensive than the Peeper/Fink, they're less expendable, making them less useful for quick scouting once AA is deployed. Carry flares to improve their survivability against guided missiles.

===Arm Lvl 2 Aircraft===

====Blade====

A gunship with even more armor and an even bigger weapon. They're tough and reasonably fast, making them good support for your assault forces or base defenses once the enemy deploys flak cannons. Hawks/Vamps, Mercuries/Screamers, and Freedom Fighters/Avengers still work well against them.

Because of a Blade's heavy armor, they take only 50% damage from flak guns, in addition to the standard 20% damage reduction for missile attacks on gunships. In short, they're Arm's ultimate high-flying badasses. Like other gunships, they still "chain-explode", making large packs much easier to kill.

====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 Hawks/Vamps and Freedom Fighters/Avengers, 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, or greater amounts of smaller units. Unlike level 1 transports these can be used in an assault role providiing enemy AA isn't incredibly strong. The ability to drop several units into an enemy base is not to be underestimated.

====Stilleto====

A stealthy bomber whose weapon paralyzes targets caught in the blast. Good for softening up a defence line or assault force. These units are highly resiliant against anti-aircraft fire, with a relativley high amount of hitpoints, radar invisibility, and flares to deflect missiles. On the offensive it can be used to disable enemy AA or ground turrets, allowing you to move in a more damaging force. On defence it can disable large amounts of small units, or even the large mechs which have no defence against such aircraft.

===Core Lvl 2 Aircraft===

====Seahook====

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

====Krow====

Flying instagib. With its three heavy, rapid-firing lasers, it will kill anything that isn't protected by heavy AA. Krows are not actually flak-resistant. They simply have a ''lot'' of HP.

==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 Ships and Subs===

====Skeeter/Searcher====

The naval equivalent 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. They are also useful as anti-air for early attacks, before you can get/need the standard AA ships ([[#Archer/Shredder|Archer/Shredder]]).

====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 Ships and Subs===

====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 much more accurate heavy laser. These ships can dominate enemy fleets but are expensive and very weak against submarines and aircraft. 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 sea-borne 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.

==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 Hovercraft===

====Mausser/Navarone====

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

====Swatter/Slinger====

An anti-air 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. Neither can stand up to proper tanks or ships, but they're very good for quick attacks over small bodies of water.

====Wombat/Nixer====

A hovercraft with a vertically-launched artillery rocket. Very similar to the Merl/Diplomat, but with a shorter range, faster fire rate, and lower 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.) These effectively form the tier 3 of aircraft. While the ranks of seaplanes do not include units like Krows or Krogoths, they are far more cost effective, more powerful, generally nimbler, faster, and so on. Seaplane factories can only be built on the water by Advanced Construction Submarines and Aircraft

===Common Lvl 1 Seaplanes===

====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. Carries flares to help protect it against guided missiles.

====Tornado/Voodoo====

Basic fighter seaplane. Similar to the Hawk/Vamp, but not stealthy and with a less powerful air-to-air missile. Although they will generally lose to a Hawk/Vamp in a head-to-head fight, they are far less expensive and faster to build.

====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. About the same general power level as a Brawler/Rapier, but slightly more cost-effective, quick, and nimble. 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/Maelstrom====

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

2006-07-11T17:42:14Z

Egarwaen: /* Seahook */ Edited slightly.

This is the Practical AA Guide. It has information such as ways to best use units, and things to avoid. To answer more technical questions, such as exactly how much damage per second a weapon is capable of, or precise build costs of a particular unit, you may want to visit the [http://ta-aa.sourceforge.net/modweb Technical AA Guide].

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 in the first few minutes of the game, and destroys any reclaimable wreckage. His laser should be more than enough against small groups of raiders. Whatever you do, '''do not''' D-Gun your own structures or units unless it's that or lose the game.

The Commander has a small but constant auto-repair, which makes him better able to handle fire from raiders and sporadic artillery hits.

==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 Resource Structures===

====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 Collector====

More expensive than a [[#Wind Generator|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 Metal Maker consumes 100e and produces 1m. When building metal makers, always use the [[Metal Maker AI]].

There are also floating versions of this structure, these ae somhat more efficient, consuming 90e and producing 1m.

====Advanced Solar Collector====

The Advanced Solar Generator produces about four times as much energy (75 per tick) as a regular [[#Solar Collector|Solar Collector]], but costs correspondingly more metal and significantly more energy. Their advantage over regular Solar Collectors is that they have a smaller footprint (4x4 instead of 5x5). They cannot close into a more armored form, but they do have more health.

====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.

Geothermal powerplants, much like the level 2 Moho Geothermal Powerplants, have a nasty explosion. Be careful what you build around them since they will be a prime target of opportunity.

Absolute Annihilation gives Arm increased output from geothermal powerplants.

====Energy/Metal Storage====

As the name indicates, these structures provide you with additional energy and metal storage. Since all resource structures in AA come with some 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 usually be using up your metal as fast as you can without stalling. ''However'' if you're reclaiming a lot of things, especially any [[#Commander|Commander]] wreckage laying about, you'll need these in order to make sure you receive all your metal.

===Arm Level 1 Resource Structures===

====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 necessary. Watch out for this when killing them if the enemy has some units nearby, as paralyzed units are easy prey.

===Core Level 1 Resource Structures===

====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 Resource Structures===

====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. Unlike Moho Mines in [[XTA]], they only cost 25 energy to operate. 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.

Absolute Annihilation gives Core slightly better energy output on their fusion plants.

====Moho Metal Maker====

A bigger, better metal maker. Takes much more energy to operate, but produces much more metal, and does so more efficently. 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, wich is the most efficent energy to metal convertor of all.

====Metal Generator====

A structure that provides a steady input of 1m at no cost other than initial construction. 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.

Absolute Annihilation gives Arm a hefty boost to their output from Moho Geothermal Powerplants.

====Advanced Fusion Reactor====

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

Absolute Annihilation gives Core a hefty boost to their Advanced Fusion Reactor's energy output. However, this is somewhat offset by the greater cost a Core player must pay if he or she wants to cloak their reactor.

===Arm Level 2 Resource Structures===

====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 Resource Structures===

====Moho 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. Behemoths have the longest range of any structure except for LRPC/RFLRPCs.

==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. Units firing on radar dots can gain better accuracy if a player or one of his allies builds a radar targeting facility. 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 by either side. Yes, this means that you can't use radar to detect enemy units inside the area of effect of one of your jammers! 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.

In the late game, as more and more of the map gets covered by radar jammers, Dragon's Eyes become one of the most effective ways to keep track of your enemy's activities. They're virtually undectable once built and can't be fooled by radar jamming or stealth, though they still can't see cloaked units.

===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 [[#Bulldog|Bulldogs]] or [[#Goliath|Goliaths]], can drive over Dragon's Teeth, destroying them in the process.

Commanders and construction planes have a speed advantage in building these, as construction bots and vehicles do a small animation whenver they start or finish constructing something. This slows them down significantly on such cheap structures.

These can be used in lines to block an enemy advance. This is useful to prevent fast raiding units from simply rushing past your defences to attack key buildings in the back of your base. They can also be used in small lines or squares surrounding a defensive structure such as a [[#Sentinel/Gaat_Gun_Heavy_Laser_Tower|heavy laser tower]]. This can provide some protection from small units with direct fire weapons such as the [[#Flash/Instigator|Flash tank]].

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

One interesting use of Dragon's Teeth is terrain modification. DTs have a substantially higher "slope tolerance" (the maximum slope they can be built on) than most structures. They can be reclaimed to recover much of the metal that went into their construction. This makes them excellent for "clearing terrain" for building other structures. Just build a single DT or a small block of them, reclaim them, and build on the now-flattened land! This is great for putting up LLTs on hills, but can also be used to place Guardians/Punishers in unexpected locations. (Tip from Felix the Cat)

===Level 1 Defensive Structures===

====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 abbreviated as "LLT". They're good for covering mostly-blocked approaches to your base (like hills), as they can kill most light raiding forces.

A good way to defend against early to mid-game attacks is to build 3 LLTs in a loose cluster at the top of any hills or in choke points. Then build a couple of radar towers behind them to help spot enemies.

Throughout any game, even to the end, LLTs should be built in key areas of your base. They will come in handy in case an enemy slips through your outer perimeter.

====Beamer/Heavy Light Laser Turret (HLLT)====

Designed as a more permanent defensive structure for highly valuable inner-base areas as well as mid-game frontline duty. Beamers shoot a constant beam (get it? eh? eh?) which causes steady damage. This makes it ideal for dealing with attacks from both heavier units like Hammers/Thuds or much lighter units like Fleas, where it can instantly move on to the next target when the first one is destroyed, rather than waiting for a lengthy cool-down period. These also have a slightly longer range than vanilla LLTs.

The HLLT, on the other hand, is pretty much just a beefed up LLT. It has two turrets, allowing it to target two enemies simultaneously or concentrate on a single one. They have more than their fair share of hit points.

====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.

====Packo/SAM Anti-air Turret====

These are much more durable than standard missile towers and fire homing missiles quite rapidly. They are good at taking out large number of lighter planes quickly, making them a very effective fighter swarm counter. They will struggle to kill level 2 gunships and bombers unless used in large numbers, making flak cannons and level 2 missile towers a better choice against these units. The Packo can retract into a shielded underground state, largely protecting it from ground attack. The SAM just has more hitpoints.

====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.''

Besides Mercury/Screamer towers, these are the longest-range anti-air units you can build.

These buildings do extra damage against bombers.

====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 trajectory", which causes it to fire more damaging but highly inaccurate shells with a large area of effect in a high arc, or "Low trajectory", 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.

These do extra damage against amphibious units, and are therefore a good choice for defending a shoreline against a "fully submerged" opponent.

====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.

====Dargon's Claw/Dragon's Maw====

These are stealthy defensive structures (really stationary units) that can disguise themselves as Dragon's Teeth. When disguised, they can take significant amounts of damage, just like any "pop-up" weapon. If an enemy wanders into range, they'll reveal themselves and attack with a short-ranged lightning cannon (Arm) or flamethrower (Core). When destroyed, they leave behind ordinary Dragon's Teeth.

===Level 2 Defensive Structures===

====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 or nuclear weapons.

====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 totally under water, and so can only be targeted 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 must be constructed before launch) all the way across any map, each of which can destroy a substantial portion of an enemy base. Very few things (such as specialized structures that are in an armoured state by default) can survive a nuke blast, though the missiles can be easily intercepted by Protectors/Fortitudes.

====Juno====

The Juno is a much more limited ballistic 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 sheild that stops all manner of plasma weapons, gauss shells, and EMG fire, but it 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.

The sheild needs to be charged to stop shells, you can determine it's level of charge by how the sheild appears, a barely visible sheild has no or very low charge whereas a bright white sheild is fully charged. The sheild consumes energy to charge.

The sheild can hold it's onw for quite a while against VLRPCs, bur RFVLRPCS can bring them down near instantly.

====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. A cluster of these structures packed into a chokepoint or lined up in front of some Annihilators/Doomsday Machines can do quite a lot of damage. When not in use, they fold away into a concrete bunker, making them effectively immune to long-range artillery and even nuke strikes.

===Arm Level 2 Defensive Structures===

====Detonator====

The Detonator fires ballistic EMP missiles that paralyze units caught inside the blast. Their projectiles cannot be intercepted, making them very good at "preparing" enemy defensive structures or units for an attack. Like nukes and anti-nukes, the Detonator must build each shot before it can be used.

===Core Level 2 Defensive Structures===

====Inferno====

Wide-arc flamethrower. Good against swarms or for use in conjunction with several other Infernos against bigger units, or simply as one more extra support turret in a massively fortified front line.

====Catalyst====

A short-range tactical nuke launcher. The Catalyst's ballistic missile cannot be intercepted by anti-nukes but do significantly less damage than full-sized nukes. This makes them poor at destroying bases, but very good at softening up an enemy defensive line before an attack.

==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 KBots===

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====

Slightly 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 have a long range but 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 are shorter-ranged than Rocko/Storm rockets, but can 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 KBots===

====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 KBots===

The Core has no unique Level 1 KBots.

===Common Lvl 2 KBots===

====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-conceived 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 reanimated corpses of the enemy's attack force into your service to supplement 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 useful for getting past an enemy's defences.

===Arm Lvl 2 KBots===

====Fido====

A very average level 2 KBot. Weaker than a [[#Zeus|Zeus]] or [[#Maverick|Maverick]] but faster and cheaper. Versatile but not particularly good at any one thing. The Fido has two fire modes, which can be toggled by switching its "Active State" between "On" and "Off". The default uses a long-range, slow-firing direct-fire gauss cannon. It's fairly accurate but relatively low-damage. The "Ballistic Cannon" mode fires a less-accurate shell that travels in a higher, ballistic arc, allowing it to fire over other units, Dragon's Teeth, and hills.

====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. Average durability and speed for an L2 unit, but capable of doing impressive damage. It destroys L1 units and light defences with ease. The Maverick also auto-repairs in combat and has a longer visual range than most units, making one or two good "spotters" for a unit of other KBots.

====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, provided you have something to soak up enemy fire while the Sharpshooters do their work.

====Recluse====

A spider KBot that can climb up almost anything. Can cause nightmares for unprepared opponents 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.

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. Even on open ground, the paralyzer weapon makes it an excellent unit to mix in with an assault force, as a couple of shots can take an enemy unit out of the battle for a few seconds, and will probably focus all the enemy's fire on the Spider.

====Scarab====

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.

===Core Lvl 2 KBots===

====Pyro====

Core's level 2 [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/wiki/Swarming swarm]/assault unit unit. Halfway between a Zipper and a Zeus in toughness and speed. 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. Generally, you'll want to back these up with Cans.

====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. Longer weapon range and more power, as well as a much faster fire rate. 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. Good at countering light Level 3 KBots. Like the Can, it has a combat auto-repair.

====Morty====

A support KBot with a very big gun. Has a long range and fires fast, 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 torpedoes 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 or Raiders near the front lines to reinforce your assault force can be very effective!

====Dominator====

Another artillery support KBot, the Dominator fires vertically-launched rockets. These are only slightly longer-ranged 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, but it can cloak too. Combined with radar jamming, a Skuttle can blast an impressive hole in even the toughest defences.

====Leejen====

A light and fast but totally unarmed scout KBot. Cheap unit, good for scouting ahead of a force for things like stealth units, mines, and enemy defences. Has a very short-ranged radar for spotting cloaked units, etc.

===Common Lvl 3 KBots===

====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 Annihilators/Doomsday Machines, 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, or a few Sumos, though it can outrun the Sumos.

====Marauder====

A medium amphibious assault unit. Very fast moving on land, and can be 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 bypass enemy defences.

====Aegis====

A mobile EMP ballistic missile 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 KBots===

====Krogoth====

An [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/wiki/Uberweapon Uberweapon]. Costs absurd amounts of resources. Slightly more powerful and tougher than the Orcone, and features a shotgun-style blaster which is ideal for concentrated fire on a single heavy target or spread fire over a swarm of lesser units.

====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 vulnerable 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. Juggernauts have a lot of hit points, so they can also be used as a sort of "rolling front line". Should ideally have a group of support construction units for when its job is done and it's lost a lot of health.

====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. In groups of three or more, these can tear apart an enemy base in as little as 60 seconds. They should be guarded well by units such as Sumos, Cans, and Karganeths.

==Vehicles==

Vehicles use wheels or tracks to move. They're generaly fast, 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 Vehicles===

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 equivalent 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.

====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 equivalent 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 fair 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 (to their peril).

===Arm Lvl 1 Vehicles===

====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 Vehicles===

====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 Vehicles===

====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 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. They are slower than other forms of mobile artillery but tougher, making them good at assaulting enemy defensive structures.

====Triton/Croc====

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. The usual limitations of amphibious units apply.

====Bulldog/Reaper====

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

===Arm Lvl 2 Vehicles===

====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, especially once L3 units start rolling out. 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 and Zeus. These can be used to construct front-line reinforcements or even, with the help of jammers, construct an entire attack force for use against an unwary opponent.

===Core Lvl 2 Vehicles===

====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. While expensive, a force of goliaths can do very impressive damage and can be very difficult to stop, especially since it auto-repairs even during combat. 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.

====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. Its shots have a fairly large scatter, making them great at wiping out clustered defences or resource buildings.

====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.

==Aircraft==

Aircraft are airborne combat units. They're fast, can cross any terrain, but can take very little damage. Most aircraft are specialized, and designed for a specific task. Against units not built specifically to counter them, aircraft are very effective. Against anti-air units, they are at a significant disadvantage. Generally air units are not a base busting assault weapon, but anyone who assumes that they are useless will play at a significant disadvantage. Aircraft can be put to several uses, even in the late game:

Scouting: You've built a [[#Big Bertha/Intimidator|VLRPC]] (or ten). The sounds of each successive shell exploding in your enemy's base is slowly ratcheting up the pressure. But how do you know whether the pride of your army is destroying important enemy buildings, or killing peewees and solar collectors? Build some airplanes and have a look. You can then aim your Big Bertha at a worthy target. If your enemies build LRPCs, but only one player builds planes, guess who will find and destroy the opposing LRPCs first?

A few light aircraft can also be a great investment ahead of a ground attack. You can spot holes in the defence to aim for or unexpected resistance to retreat from before taking losses. They can provide line of sight for long range artillery to start pounding opposing defences. And what is that blob of units coming towards you on the radar? A plane can tell you if its 20 peewees or 20 goliaths. Any empty space on the map? Send a plane to scout at random intervals; you might find and prevent an opponent preparing a nasty surprise under cover of a radar jammer.

In general terms, scout aircraft are invaluable, as they're a very reliable mechanism for gathering precise information about the battlefield, even through heavy radar jamming and enemy fire.

Overwhelming: Focus efforts on building a large devestating force of bombers or gunships. With enough effort or against an unsuspecting victim, you may create a large enough air attack to devestate a base with insufficient anti-air defence. If your opponent ''does'' build enough anti-air defences, the setback to your economy from this effort will be serious.

Defence: An often overlooked aspect of aircraft is their use for base defence. They have the advantage of being able to intercept an attack from any direction quickly. If the attack force does not include a significant anti air componenent, your planes can attack while taking very little damage in return. [[#Hawk/Vamp|Hawks/Vamps]] are particularly good at this, and while they're unlikely to do fatal damage to ground units, they're excellent at intercepting and destroying enemy airstrikes. Level 2 bombers and gunships can provide a more adiquate dfence against ground assaults. A few Arm Stilletos, for instance, can provide an effective defence against nearly any attack.

Strategic strikes: Sometimes your opponent has a key building you badly want to destroy. It might be a [[#Retaliator/Silencer|nuclear silo]], [[#Protector/Fortitude|nuclear defence]], or a [[#Vulcan/Buzzsaw|rapid fire LRPC]]. Perhaps a [[#Moho Geothermal Powerplant|moho geothermal]], or [[#Advanced Fusion Reactor|advanced fusion]] that could take half the base with it if you can kill it. Or a [[#Commander|Commander]]. A determined bombing assault can often do the trick. Air has an unequaled ability to rapidly move and concentrate force to attack a key location. Just make sure the target is worth the effort, as in most games the planes that will get destroyed by anti-air in such a strike will represent a significant investment of resources. You'll need to use ground forces to capitalize on the strike.

All aircraft have a limited-range sonar, allowing them to see submerged units immediately under them. Aircraft generally cost larger amounts of energy, and lower amounts of metal when compared with other units. This can energy stall an unprepared player who tries to build an air force too early in the game. Aircraft also take a long time to build. Building an Air Factory as your first factory is a high-risk move guaranteed to slow down economic expansion drastrically.

===Common Lvl 1 Aircraft===

====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. Carries flares to reduce the effectiveness of guided AA weapons. They're best used as scouts, to spot targets for long-range artillery or attack forces. As they're cheap, fast, airborne, carry radar, and have a good sight range, Peepers and Finks are among the best scouts in the game. It's almost always worth building an L1 Aircraft Plant even if you only use it for building these.

====Freedom Fighter/Avenger====

A basic fighter aircraft. Fast and maneuverable, but can't take much damage. Carries a homing missile that can attack ground or air targets. Although they're not specifically designed for it, a group of 20-30 of these can be quickly and cheaply built in the late game to harass enemy units to great effect. Great against level 1 aircraft, and useful against level 2 aircraft and ground units if built in a large enough swarm. They are also extremely effective against gunships of all kinds.

An effective tactic can be to slowly assemble a group of these and then use them to raid your enemy's resources; from then on, he'll be forced to build extensive anti-air even if you don't plan on ever using air again. If your enemy is spending half his resources to defend against an attack that's not coming....

====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, but if you can find an opening in the enemy's anti-aircraft defences, a quick raid with air transports could exploit it very effectively. Even against moderate AA, a swarm of Atlases (20-ish) will often be able to drop off at least a few units behind enemy lines before they die.

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 Aircraft===

====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 damage, 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 vulnerable to flak.

As with all gunships, banshees take slightly (~20%) reduced damage from missiles compared to other types of aircraft.

===Core Lvl 1 Aircraft===

====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 paralysing serious threats. It can hover, allowing it to attack slow-moving or stationary ground units very effectively but making it vulnerable to flak.

Many Core players have gone on the record to say that the only reason they like Core so much is the Bladewing. With its ability to temporarily remove any one unit from a fight, you can effectively take the wind out of your enemy's sails if that one unit is, for instance, a Bantha.

Be aware that superweapons and Commanders are nigh-invulnerable to paralyzer weapons. Concentrated fire may temporarily stun them, but they'll be back in action practically the instant you stop firing.

===Common Lvl 2 Aircraft===

====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 AA in general and flak in particular. Before the enemy has significant flak defences, Brawlers and Rapiers are viable for assaults. After that point, they're best used to raid areas of the enemy base lacking flak for whatever reason, or harass assault forces that have insufficient AA cover. These are also fairly supicable to fighters, especialy when traveling to or from a target.

Be aware that Brawlers and Rapiers do significant damage to other gunships in the area when they explode. This means that, beyond about 15-20 gunships, additional gunships won't actually contribute much to a swarm's effectiveness. If you do find yourself with more than this, split them up into multiple groups.

====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, regardless of what it is. 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.

As advanced missile towers and flak get built, the ability of Phoenixes and Hurricanes to hit targets anywhere in a base diminishes. They remain useful for striking targets near the edge, and can be good for softening up a defence line or breaking a hole in it before an attack, but typically need to withdraw (or will be destroyed) after one or two passes.

Because of their bomb scattering attribute, a group of even 5+ Phoenix or Hurricanes can be used to quickly massacre even a moderately fast-moving attack group if it isn't protected by a strong anti-air presence.

====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, gunships, and level 1 fighters. Not so good offensively, though, as they suck at attacking ground targets. They're good at intercepting enemy airstrikes and providing AA defence for the skies over your base or contested territory.

Note that stealth fighters are excellent AA cover for ground assault forces. Because they're stealthy, they can't be picked up on radar and destroyed by [[#Mercury/Screamer|Mercuries/Screamers]] until they actually engage the enemy. By that time, it's usually too late. You will probably lose all of your Hawks/Vamps, but your enemy's air-swarm will also be dead.

====Eagle/Vulture====

A more sophisticated recon plane. Has a longer radar range and carries a real sonar. Information about your enemy's activities is vital for both attack and defence, and the Eagle/Vulture can tell you a lot. Since they're more expensive than the Peeper/Fink, they're less expendable, making them less useful for quick scouting once AA is deployed. Carry flares to improve their survivability against guided missiles.

===Arm Lvl 2 Aircraft===

====Blade====

A gunship with even more armor and an even bigger weapon. They're tough and reasonably fast, making them good support for your assault forces or base defenses once the enemy deploys flak cannons. Hawks/Vamps, Mercuries/Screamers, and Freedom Fighters/Avengers still work well against them.

Because of a Blade's heavy armor, they take only 50% damage from flak guns, in addition to the standard 20% damage reduction for missile attacks on gunships. In short, they're Arm's ultimate high-flying badasses. Like other gunships, they still "chain-explode", making large packs much easier to kill.

====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 Hawks/Vamps and Freedom Fighters/Avengers, 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, or greater amounts of smaller units. Unlike level 1 transports these can be used in an assault role providiing enemy AA isn't incredibly strong. The ability to drop several units into an enemy base is not to be underestimated.

====Stilleto====

A stealthy bomber whose weapon paralyzes targets caught in the blast. Good for softening up a defence line or assault force. These units are highly resiliant against anti-aircraft fire, with a relativley high amount of hitpoints, radar invisibility, and flares to deflect missiles. On the offensive it can be used to disable enemy AA or ground turrets, allowing you to move in a more damaging force. On defence it can disable large amounts of small units, or even the large mechs which have no defence against such aircraft.

===Core Lvl 2 Aircraft===

====Seahook====

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

====Krow====

Flying instagib. With its three heavy, rapid-firing lasers, it will kill anything that isn't a group of 5+ flak guns or a fighter swarm.

==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 Ships and Subs===

====Skeeter/Searcher====

The naval equivalent 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. They are also useful as anti-air for early attacks, before you can get/need the standard AA ships ([[#Archer/Shredder|Archer/Shredder]]).

====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 Ships and Subs===

====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 much more accurate heavy laser. These ships can dominate enemy fleets but are expensive and very weak against submarines and aircraft. 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 sea-borne 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.

==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 Hovercraft===

====Mausser/Navarone====

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

====Swatter/Slinger====

An anti-air 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. Neither can stand up to proper tanks or ships, but they're very good for quick attacks over small bodies of water.

====Wombat/Nixer====

A hovercraft with a vertically-launched artillery rocket. Very similar to the Merl/Diplomat, but with a shorter range, faster fire rate, and lower 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.) These effectively form the tier 3 of aircraft. While the ranks of seaplanes do not include units like Krows or Krogoths, they are far more cost effective, more powerful, generally nimbler, faster, and so on. Seaplane factories can only be built on the water by Advanced Construction Submarines and Aircraft

===Common Lvl 1 Seaplanes===

====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. Carries flares to help protect it against guided missiles.

====Tornado/Voodoo====

Basic fighter seaplane. Similar to the Hawk/Vamp, but not stealthy and with a less powerful air-to-air missile. Although they will generally lose to a Hawk/Vamp in a head-to-head fight, they are far less expensive and faster to build.

====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. About the same general power level as a Brawler/Rapier, but slightly more cost-effective, quick, and nimble. 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/Maelstrom====

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

2006-07-11T17:41:41Z

Egarwaen: /* Dragonfly */ Missing '

This is the Practical AA Guide. It has information such as ways to best use units, and things to avoid. To answer more technical questions, such as exactly how much damage per second a weapon is capable of, or precise build costs of a particular unit, you may want to visit the [http://ta-aa.sourceforge.net/modweb Technical AA Guide].

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 in the first few minutes of the game, and destroys any reclaimable wreckage. His laser should be more than enough against small groups of raiders. Whatever you do, '''do not''' D-Gun your own structures or units unless it's that or lose the game.

The Commander has a small but constant auto-repair, which makes him better able to handle fire from raiders and sporadic artillery hits.

==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 Resource Structures===

====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 Collector====

More expensive than a [[#Wind Generator|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 Metal Maker consumes 100e and produces 1m. When building metal makers, always use the [[Metal Maker AI]].

There are also floating versions of this structure, these ae somhat more efficient, consuming 90e and producing 1m.

====Advanced Solar Collector====

The Advanced Solar Generator produces about four times as much energy (75 per tick) as a regular [[#Solar Collector|Solar Collector]], but costs correspondingly more metal and significantly more energy. Their advantage over regular Solar Collectors is that they have a smaller footprint (4x4 instead of 5x5). They cannot close into a more armored form, but they do have more health.

====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.

Geothermal powerplants, much like the level 2 Moho Geothermal Powerplants, have a nasty explosion. Be careful what you build around them since they will be a prime target of opportunity.

Absolute Annihilation gives Arm increased output from geothermal powerplants.

====Energy/Metal Storage====

As the name indicates, these structures provide you with additional energy and metal storage. Since all resource structures in AA come with some 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 usually be using up your metal as fast as you can without stalling. ''However'' if you're reclaiming a lot of things, especially any [[#Commander|Commander]] wreckage laying about, you'll need these in order to make sure you receive all your metal.

===Arm Level 1 Resource Structures===

====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 necessary. Watch out for this when killing them if the enemy has some units nearby, as paralyzed units are easy prey.

===Core Level 1 Resource Structures===

====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 Resource Structures===

====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. Unlike Moho Mines in [[XTA]], they only cost 25 energy to operate. 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.

Absolute Annihilation gives Core slightly better energy output on their fusion plants.

====Moho Metal Maker====

A bigger, better metal maker. Takes much more energy to operate, but produces much more metal, and does so more efficently. 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, wich is the most efficent energy to metal convertor of all.

====Metal Generator====

A structure that provides a steady input of 1m at no cost other than initial construction. 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.

Absolute Annihilation gives Arm a hefty boost to their output from Moho Geothermal Powerplants.

====Advanced Fusion Reactor====

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

Absolute Annihilation gives Core a hefty boost to their Advanced Fusion Reactor's energy output. However, this is somewhat offset by the greater cost a Core player must pay if he or she wants to cloak their reactor.

===Arm Level 2 Resource Structures===

====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 Resource Structures===

====Moho 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. Behemoths have the longest range of any structure except for LRPC/RFLRPCs.

==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. Units firing on radar dots can gain better accuracy if a player or one of his allies builds a radar targeting facility. 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 by either side. Yes, this means that you can't use radar to detect enemy units inside the area of effect of one of your jammers! 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.

In the late game, as more and more of the map gets covered by radar jammers, Dragon's Eyes become one of the most effective ways to keep track of your enemy's activities. They're virtually undectable once built and can't be fooled by radar jamming or stealth, though they still can't see cloaked units.

===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 [[#Bulldog|Bulldogs]] or [[#Goliath|Goliaths]], can drive over Dragon's Teeth, destroying them in the process.

Commanders and construction planes have a speed advantage in building these, as construction bots and vehicles do a small animation whenver they start or finish constructing something. This slows them down significantly on such cheap structures.

These can be used in lines to block an enemy advance. This is useful to prevent fast raiding units from simply rushing past your defences to attack key buildings in the back of your base. They can also be used in small lines or squares surrounding a defensive structure such as a [[#Sentinel/Gaat_Gun_Heavy_Laser_Tower|heavy laser tower]]. This can provide some protection from small units with direct fire weapons such as the [[#Flash/Instigator|Flash tank]].

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

One interesting use of Dragon's Teeth is terrain modification. DTs have a substantially higher "slope tolerance" (the maximum slope they can be built on) than most structures. They can be reclaimed to recover much of the metal that went into their construction. This makes them excellent for "clearing terrain" for building other structures. Just build a single DT or a small block of them, reclaim them, and build on the now-flattened land! This is great for putting up LLTs on hills, but can also be used to place Guardians/Punishers in unexpected locations. (Tip from Felix the Cat)

===Level 1 Defensive Structures===

====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 abbreviated as "LLT". They're good for covering mostly-blocked approaches to your base (like hills), as they can kill most light raiding forces.

A good way to defend against early to mid-game attacks is to build 3 LLTs in a loose cluster at the top of any hills or in choke points. Then build a couple of radar towers behind them to help spot enemies.

Throughout any game, even to the end, LLTs should be built in key areas of your base. They will come in handy in case an enemy slips through your outer perimeter.

====Beamer/Heavy Light Laser Turret (HLLT)====

Designed as a more permanent defensive structure for highly valuable inner-base areas as well as mid-game frontline duty. Beamers shoot a constant beam (get it? eh? eh?) which causes steady damage. This makes it ideal for dealing with attacks from both heavier units like Hammers/Thuds or much lighter units like Fleas, where it can instantly move on to the next target when the first one is destroyed, rather than waiting for a lengthy cool-down period. These also have a slightly longer range than vanilla LLTs.

The HLLT, on the other hand, is pretty much just a beefed up LLT. It has two turrets, allowing it to target two enemies simultaneously or concentrate on a single one. They have more than their fair share of hit points.

====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.

====Packo/SAM Anti-air Turret====

These are much more durable than standard missile towers and fire homing missiles quite rapidly. They are good at taking out large number of lighter planes quickly, making them a very effective fighter swarm counter. They will struggle to kill level 2 gunships and bombers unless used in large numbers, making flak cannons and level 2 missile towers a better choice against these units. The Packo can retract into a shielded underground state, largely protecting it from ground attack. The SAM just has more hitpoints.

====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.''

Besides Mercury/Screamer towers, these are the longest-range anti-air units you can build.

These buildings do extra damage against bombers.

====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 trajectory", which causes it to fire more damaging but highly inaccurate shells with a large area of effect in a high arc, or "Low trajectory", 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.

These do extra damage against amphibious units, and are therefore a good choice for defending a shoreline against a "fully submerged" opponent.

====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.

====Dargon's Claw/Dragon's Maw====

These are stealthy defensive structures (really stationary units) that can disguise themselves as Dragon's Teeth. When disguised, they can take significant amounts of damage, just like any "pop-up" weapon. If an enemy wanders into range, they'll reveal themselves and attack with a short-ranged lightning cannon (Arm) or flamethrower (Core). When destroyed, they leave behind ordinary Dragon's Teeth.

===Level 2 Defensive Structures===

====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 or nuclear weapons.

====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 totally under water, and so can only be targeted 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 must be constructed before launch) all the way across any map, each of which can destroy a substantial portion of an enemy base. Very few things (such as specialized structures that are in an armoured state by default) can survive a nuke blast, though the missiles can be easily intercepted by Protectors/Fortitudes.

====Juno====

The Juno is a much more limited ballistic 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 sheild that stops all manner of plasma weapons, gauss shells, and EMG fire, but it 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.

The sheild needs to be charged to stop shells, you can determine it's level of charge by how the sheild appears, a barely visible sheild has no or very low charge whereas a bright white sheild is fully charged. The sheild consumes energy to charge.

The sheild can hold it's onw for quite a while against VLRPCs, bur RFVLRPCS can bring them down near instantly.

====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. A cluster of these structures packed into a chokepoint or lined up in front of some Annihilators/Doomsday Machines can do quite a lot of damage. When not in use, they fold away into a concrete bunker, making them effectively immune to long-range artillery and even nuke strikes.

===Arm Level 2 Defensive Structures===

====Detonator====

The Detonator fires ballistic EMP missiles that paralyze units caught inside the blast. Their projectiles cannot be intercepted, making them very good at "preparing" enemy defensive structures or units for an attack. Like nukes and anti-nukes, the Detonator must build each shot before it can be used.

===Core Level 2 Defensive Structures===

====Inferno====

Wide-arc flamethrower. Good against swarms or for use in conjunction with several other Infernos against bigger units, or simply as one more extra support turret in a massively fortified front line.

====Catalyst====

A short-range tactical nuke launcher. The Catalyst's ballistic missile cannot be intercepted by anti-nukes but do significantly less damage than full-sized nukes. This makes them poor at destroying bases, but very good at softening up an enemy defensive line before an attack.

==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 KBots===

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====

Slightly 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 have a long range but 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 are shorter-ranged than Rocko/Storm rockets, but can 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 KBots===

====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 KBots===

The Core has no unique Level 1 KBots.

===Common Lvl 2 KBots===

====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-conceived 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 reanimated corpses of the enemy's attack force into your service to supplement 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 useful for getting past an enemy's defences.

===Arm Lvl 2 KBots===

====Fido====

A very average level 2 KBot. Weaker than a [[#Zeus|Zeus]] or [[#Maverick|Maverick]] but faster and cheaper. Versatile but not particularly good at any one thing. The Fido has two fire modes, which can be toggled by switching its "Active State" between "On" and "Off". The default uses a long-range, slow-firing direct-fire gauss cannon. It's fairly accurate but relatively low-damage. The "Ballistic Cannon" mode fires a less-accurate shell that travels in a higher, ballistic arc, allowing it to fire over other units, Dragon's Teeth, and hills.

====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. Average durability and speed for an L2 unit, but capable of doing impressive damage. It destroys L1 units and light defences with ease. The Maverick also auto-repairs in combat and has a longer visual range than most units, making one or two good "spotters" for a unit of other KBots.

====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, provided you have something to soak up enemy fire while the Sharpshooters do their work.

====Recluse====

A spider KBot that can climb up almost anything. Can cause nightmares for unprepared opponents 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.

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. Even on open ground, the paralyzer weapon makes it an excellent unit to mix in with an assault force, as a couple of shots can take an enemy unit out of the battle for a few seconds, and will probably focus all the enemy's fire on the Spider.

====Scarab====

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.

===Core Lvl 2 KBots===

====Pyro====

Core's level 2 [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/wiki/Swarming swarm]/assault unit unit. Halfway between a Zipper and a Zeus in toughness and speed. 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. Generally, you'll want to back these up with Cans.

====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. Longer weapon range and more power, as well as a much faster fire rate. 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. Good at countering light Level 3 KBots. Like the Can, it has a combat auto-repair.

====Morty====

A support KBot with a very big gun. Has a long range and fires fast, 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 torpedoes 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 or Raiders near the front lines to reinforce your assault force can be very effective!

====Dominator====

Another artillery support KBot, the Dominator fires vertically-launched rockets. These are only slightly longer-ranged 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, but it can cloak too. Combined with radar jamming, a Skuttle can blast an impressive hole in even the toughest defences.

====Leejen====

A light and fast but totally unarmed scout KBot. Cheap unit, good for scouting ahead of a force for things like stealth units, mines, and enemy defences. Has a very short-ranged radar for spotting cloaked units, etc.

===Common Lvl 3 KBots===

====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 Annihilators/Doomsday Machines, 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, or a few Sumos, though it can outrun the Sumos.

====Marauder====

A medium amphibious assault unit. Very fast moving on land, and can be 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 bypass enemy defences.

====Aegis====

A mobile EMP ballistic missile 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 KBots===

====Krogoth====

An [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/wiki/Uberweapon Uberweapon]. Costs absurd amounts of resources. Slightly more powerful and tougher than the Orcone, and features a shotgun-style blaster which is ideal for concentrated fire on a single heavy target or spread fire over a swarm of lesser units.

====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 vulnerable 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. Juggernauts have a lot of hit points, so they can also be used as a sort of "rolling front line". Should ideally have a group of support construction units for when its job is done and it's lost a lot of health.

====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. In groups of three or more, these can tear apart an enemy base in as little as 60 seconds. They should be guarded well by units such as Sumos, Cans, and Karganeths.

==Vehicles==

Vehicles use wheels or tracks to move. They're generaly fast, 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 Vehicles===

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 equivalent 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.

====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 equivalent 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 fair 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 (to their peril).

===Arm Lvl 1 Vehicles===

====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 Vehicles===

====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 Vehicles===

====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 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. They are slower than other forms of mobile artillery but tougher, making them good at assaulting enemy defensive structures.

====Triton/Croc====

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. The usual limitations of amphibious units apply.

====Bulldog/Reaper====

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

===Arm Lvl 2 Vehicles===

====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, especially once L3 units start rolling out. 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 and Zeus. These can be used to construct front-line reinforcements or even, with the help of jammers, construct an entire attack force for use against an unwary opponent.

===Core Lvl 2 Vehicles===

====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. While expensive, a force of goliaths can do very impressive damage and can be very difficult to stop, especially since it auto-repairs even during combat. 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.

====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. Its shots have a fairly large scatter, making them great at wiping out clustered defences or resource buildings.

====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.

==Aircraft==

Aircraft are airborne combat units. They're fast, can cross any terrain, but can take very little damage. Most aircraft are specialized, and designed for a specific task. Against units not built specifically to counter them, aircraft are very effective. Against anti-air units, they are at a significant disadvantage. Generally air units are not a base busting assault weapon, but anyone who assumes that they are useless will play at a significant disadvantage. Aircraft can be put to several uses, even in the late game:

Scouting: You've built a [[#Big Bertha/Intimidator|VLRPC]] (or ten). The sounds of each successive shell exploding in your enemy's base is slowly ratcheting up the pressure. But how do you know whether the pride of your army is destroying important enemy buildings, or killing peewees and solar collectors? Build some airplanes and have a look. You can then aim your Big Bertha at a worthy target. If your enemies build LRPCs, but only one player builds planes, guess who will find and destroy the opposing LRPCs first?

A few light aircraft can also be a great investment ahead of a ground attack. You can spot holes in the defence to aim for or unexpected resistance to retreat from before taking losses. They can provide line of sight for long range artillery to start pounding opposing defences. And what is that blob of units coming towards you on the radar? A plane can tell you if its 20 peewees or 20 goliaths. Any empty space on the map? Send a plane to scout at random intervals; you might find and prevent an opponent preparing a nasty surprise under cover of a radar jammer.

In general terms, scout aircraft are invaluable, as they're a very reliable mechanism for gathering precise information about the battlefield, even through heavy radar jamming and enemy fire.

Overwhelming: Focus efforts on building a large devestating force of bombers or gunships. With enough effort or against an unsuspecting victim, you may create a large enough air attack to devestate a base with insufficient anti-air defence. If your opponent ''does'' build enough anti-air defences, the setback to your economy from this effort will be serious.

Defence: An often overlooked aspect of aircraft is their use for base defence. They have the advantage of being able to intercept an attack from any direction quickly. If the attack force does not include a significant anti air componenent, your planes can attack while taking very little damage in return. [[#Hawk/Vamp|Hawks/Vamps]] are particularly good at this, and while they're unlikely to do fatal damage to ground units, they're excellent at intercepting and destroying enemy airstrikes. Level 2 bombers and gunships can provide a more adiquate dfence against ground assaults. A few Arm Stilletos, for instance, can provide an effective defence against nearly any attack.

Strategic strikes: Sometimes your opponent has a key building you badly want to destroy. It might be a [[#Retaliator/Silencer|nuclear silo]], [[#Protector/Fortitude|nuclear defence]], or a [[#Vulcan/Buzzsaw|rapid fire LRPC]]. Perhaps a [[#Moho Geothermal Powerplant|moho geothermal]], or [[#Advanced Fusion Reactor|advanced fusion]] that could take half the base with it if you can kill it. Or a [[#Commander|Commander]]. A determined bombing assault can often do the trick. Air has an unequaled ability to rapidly move and concentrate force to attack a key location. Just make sure the target is worth the effort, as in most games the planes that will get destroyed by anti-air in such a strike will represent a significant investment of resources. You'll need to use ground forces to capitalize on the strike.

All aircraft have a limited-range sonar, allowing them to see submerged units immediately under them. Aircraft generally cost larger amounts of energy, and lower amounts of metal when compared with other units. This can energy stall an unprepared player who tries to build an air force too early in the game. Aircraft also take a long time to build. Building an Air Factory as your first factory is a high-risk move guaranteed to slow down economic expansion drastrically.

===Common Lvl 1 Aircraft===

====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. Carries flares to reduce the effectiveness of guided AA weapons. They're best used as scouts, to spot targets for long-range artillery or attack forces. As they're cheap, fast, airborne, carry radar, and have a good sight range, Peepers and Finks are among the best scouts in the game. It's almost always worth building an L1 Aircraft Plant even if you only use it for building these.

====Freedom Fighter/Avenger====

A basic fighter aircraft. Fast and maneuverable, but can't take much damage. Carries a homing missile that can attack ground or air targets. Although they're not specifically designed for it, a group of 20-30 of these can be quickly and cheaply built in the late game to harass enemy units to great effect. Great against level 1 aircraft, and useful against level 2 aircraft and ground units if built in a large enough swarm. They are also extremely effective against gunships of all kinds.

An effective tactic can be to slowly assemble a group of these and then use them to raid your enemy's resources; from then on, he'll be forced to build extensive anti-air even if you don't plan on ever using air again. If your enemy is spending half his resources to defend against an attack that's not coming....

====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, but if you can find an opening in the enemy's anti-aircraft defences, a quick raid with air transports could exploit it very effectively. Even against moderate AA, a swarm of Atlases (20-ish) will often be able to drop off at least a few units behind enemy lines before they die.

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 Aircraft===

====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 damage, 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 vulnerable to flak.

As with all gunships, banshees take slightly (~20%) reduced damage from missiles compared to other types of aircraft.

===Core Lvl 1 Aircraft===

====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 paralysing serious threats. It can hover, allowing it to attack slow-moving or stationary ground units very effectively but making it vulnerable to flak.

Many Core players have gone on the record to say that the only reason they like Core so much is the Bladewing. With its ability to temporarily remove any one unit from a fight, you can effectively take the wind out of your enemy's sails if that one unit is, for instance, a Bantha.

Be aware that superweapons and Commanders are nigh-invulnerable to paralyzer weapons. Concentrated fire may temporarily stun them, but they'll be back in action practically the instant you stop firing.

===Common Lvl 2 Aircraft===

====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 AA in general and flak in particular. Before the enemy has significant flak defences, Brawlers and Rapiers are viable for assaults. After that point, they're best used to raid areas of the enemy base lacking flak for whatever reason, or harass assault forces that have insufficient AA cover. These are also fairly supicable to fighters, especialy when traveling to or from a target.

Be aware that Brawlers and Rapiers do significant damage to other gunships in the area when they explode. This means that, beyond about 15-20 gunships, additional gunships won't actually contribute much to a swarm's effectiveness. If you do find yourself with more than this, split them up into multiple groups.

====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, regardless of what it is. 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.

As advanced missile towers and flak get built, the ability of Phoenixes and Hurricanes to hit targets anywhere in a base diminishes. They remain useful for striking targets near the edge, and can be good for softening up a defence line or breaking a hole in it before an attack, but typically need to withdraw (or will be destroyed) after one or two passes.

Because of their bomb scattering attribute, a group of even 5+ Phoenix or Hurricanes can be used to quickly massacre even a moderately fast-moving attack group if it isn't protected by a strong anti-air presence.

====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, gunships, and level 1 fighters. Not so good offensively, though, as they suck at attacking ground targets. They're good at intercepting enemy airstrikes and providing AA defence for the skies over your base or contested territory.

Note that stealth fighters are excellent AA cover for ground assault forces. Because they're stealthy, they can't be picked up on radar and destroyed by [[#Mercury/Screamer|Mercuries/Screamers]] until they actually engage the enemy. By that time, it's usually too late. You will probably lose all of your Hawks/Vamps, but your enemy's air-swarm will also be dead.

====Eagle/Vulture====

A more sophisticated recon plane. Has a longer radar range and carries a real sonar. Information about your enemy's activities is vital for both attack and defence, and the Eagle/Vulture can tell you a lot. Since they're more expensive than the Peeper/Fink, they're less expendable, making them less useful for quick scouting once AA is deployed. Carry flares to improve their survivability against guided missiles.

===Arm Lvl 2 Aircraft===

====Blade====

A gunship with even more armor and an even bigger weapon. They're tough and reasonably fast, making them good support for your assault forces or base defenses once the enemy deploys flak cannons. Hawks/Vamps, Mercuries/Screamers, and Freedom Fighters/Avengers still work well against them.

Because of a Blade's heavy armor, they take only 50% damage from flak guns, in addition to the standard 20% damage reduction for missile attacks on gunships. In short, they're Arm's ultimate high-flying badasses. Like other gunships, they still "chain-explode", making large packs much easier to kill.

====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 Hawks/Vamps and Freedom Fighters/Avengers, 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, or greater amounts of smaller units. Unlike level 1 transports these can be used in an assault role providiing enemy AA isn't incredibly strong. The ability to drop several units into an enemy base is not to be underestimated.

====Stilleto====

A stealthy bomber whose weapon paralyzes targets caught in the blast. Good for softening up a defence line or assault force. These units are highly resiliant against anti-aircraft fire, with a relativley high amount of hitpoints, radar invisibility, and flares to deflect missiles. On the offensive it can be used to disable enemy AA or ground turrets, allowing you to move in a more damaging force. On defence it can disable large amounts of small units, or even the large mechs which have no defence against such aircraft.

===Core Lvl 2 Aircraft===

====Seahook====

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

====Krow====

Flying instagib. With its three heavy, rapid-firing lasers, it will kill anything that isn't a group of 5+ flak guns or a fighter swarm.

==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 Ships and Subs===

====Skeeter/Searcher====

The naval equivalent 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. They are also useful as anti-air for early attacks, before you can get/need the standard AA ships ([[#Archer/Shredder|Archer/Shredder]]).

====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 Ships and Subs===

====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 much more accurate heavy laser. These ships can dominate enemy fleets but are expensive and very weak against submarines and aircraft. 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 sea-borne 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.

==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 Hovercraft===

====Mausser/Navarone====

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

====Swatter/Slinger====

An anti-air 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. Neither can stand up to proper tanks or ships, but they're very good for quick attacks over small bodies of water.

====Wombat/Nixer====

A hovercraft with a vertically-launched artillery rocket. Very similar to the Merl/Diplomat, but with a shorter range, faster fire rate, and lower 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.) These effectively form the tier 3 of aircraft. While the ranks of seaplanes do not include units like Krows or Krogoths, they are far more cost effective, more powerful, generally nimbler, faster, and so on. Seaplane factories can only be built on the water by Advanced Construction Submarines and Aircraft

===Common Lvl 1 Seaplanes===

====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. Carries flares to help protect it against guided missiles.

====Tornado/Voodoo====

Basic fighter seaplane. Similar to the Hawk/Vamp, but not stealthy and with a less powerful air-to-air missile. Although they will generally lose to a Hawk/Vamp in a head-to-head fight, they are far less expensive and faster to build.

====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. About the same general power level as a Brawler/Rapier, but slightly more cost-effective, quick, and nimble. 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/Maelstrom====

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

2006-07-11T17:40:26Z

Egarwaen: /* Blade */ Added some notes about counters to Blades.

This is the Practical AA Guide. It has information such as ways to best use units, and things to avoid. To answer more technical questions, such as exactly how much damage per second a weapon is capable of, or precise build costs of a particular unit, you may want to visit the [http://ta-aa.sourceforge.net/modweb Technical AA Guide].

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 in the first few minutes of the game, and destroys any reclaimable wreckage. His laser should be more than enough against small groups of raiders. Whatever you do, '''do not''' D-Gun your own structures or units unless it's that or lose the game.

The Commander has a small but constant auto-repair, which makes him better able to handle fire from raiders and sporadic artillery hits.

==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 Resource Structures===

====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 Collector====

More expensive than a [[#Wind Generator|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 Metal Maker consumes 100e and produces 1m. When building metal makers, always use the [[Metal Maker AI]].

There are also floating versions of this structure, these ae somhat more efficient, consuming 90e and producing 1m.

====Advanced Solar Collector====

The Advanced Solar Generator produces about four times as much energy (75 per tick) as a regular [[#Solar Collector|Solar Collector]], but costs correspondingly more metal and significantly more energy. Their advantage over regular Solar Collectors is that they have a smaller footprint (4x4 instead of 5x5). They cannot close into a more armored form, but they do have more health.

====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.

Geothermal powerplants, much like the level 2 Moho Geothermal Powerplants, have a nasty explosion. Be careful what you build around them since they will be a prime target of opportunity.

Absolute Annihilation gives Arm increased output from geothermal powerplants.

====Energy/Metal Storage====

As the name indicates, these structures provide you with additional energy and metal storage. Since all resource structures in AA come with some 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 usually be using up your metal as fast as you can without stalling. ''However'' if you're reclaiming a lot of things, especially any [[#Commander|Commander]] wreckage laying about, you'll need these in order to make sure you receive all your metal.

===Arm Level 1 Resource Structures===

====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 necessary. Watch out for this when killing them if the enemy has some units nearby, as paralyzed units are easy prey.

===Core Level 1 Resource Structures===

====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 Resource Structures===

====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. Unlike Moho Mines in [[XTA]], they only cost 25 energy to operate. 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.

Absolute Annihilation gives Core slightly better energy output on their fusion plants.

====Moho Metal Maker====

A bigger, better metal maker. Takes much more energy to operate, but produces much more metal, and does so more efficently. 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, wich is the most efficent energy to metal convertor of all.

====Metal Generator====

A structure that provides a steady input of 1m at no cost other than initial construction. 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.

Absolute Annihilation gives Arm a hefty boost to their output from Moho Geothermal Powerplants.

====Advanced Fusion Reactor====

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

Absolute Annihilation gives Core a hefty boost to their Advanced Fusion Reactor's energy output. However, this is somewhat offset by the greater cost a Core player must pay if he or she wants to cloak their reactor.

===Arm Level 2 Resource Structures===

====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 Resource Structures===

====Moho 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. Behemoths have the longest range of any structure except for LRPC/RFLRPCs.

==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. Units firing on radar dots can gain better accuracy if a player or one of his allies builds a radar targeting facility. 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 by either side. Yes, this means that you can't use radar to detect enemy units inside the area of effect of one of your jammers! 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.

In the late game, as more and more of the map gets covered by radar jammers, Dragon's Eyes become one of the most effective ways to keep track of your enemy's activities. They're virtually undectable once built and can't be fooled by radar jamming or stealth, though they still can't see cloaked units.

===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 [[#Bulldog|Bulldogs]] or [[#Goliath|Goliaths]], can drive over Dragon's Teeth, destroying them in the process.

Commanders and construction planes have a speed advantage in building these, as construction bots and vehicles do a small animation whenver they start or finish constructing something. This slows them down significantly on such cheap structures.

These can be used in lines to block an enemy advance. This is useful to prevent fast raiding units from simply rushing past your defences to attack key buildings in the back of your base. They can also be used in small lines or squares surrounding a defensive structure such as a [[#Sentinel/Gaat_Gun_Heavy_Laser_Tower|heavy laser tower]]. This can provide some protection from small units with direct fire weapons such as the [[#Flash/Instigator|Flash tank]].

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

One interesting use of Dragon's Teeth is terrain modification. DTs have a substantially higher "slope tolerance" (the maximum slope they can be built on) than most structures. They can be reclaimed to recover much of the metal that went into their construction. This makes them excellent for "clearing terrain" for building other structures. Just build a single DT or a small block of them, reclaim them, and build on the now-flattened land! This is great for putting up LLTs on hills, but can also be used to place Guardians/Punishers in unexpected locations. (Tip from Felix the Cat)

===Level 1 Defensive Structures===

====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 abbreviated as "LLT". They're good for covering mostly-blocked approaches to your base (like hills), as they can kill most light raiding forces.

A good way to defend against early to mid-game attacks is to build 3 LLTs in a loose cluster at the top of any hills or in choke points. Then build a couple of radar towers behind them to help spot enemies.

Throughout any game, even to the end, LLTs should be built in key areas of your base. They will come in handy in case an enemy slips through your outer perimeter.

====Beamer/Heavy Light Laser Turret (HLLT)====

Designed as a more permanent defensive structure for highly valuable inner-base areas as well as mid-game frontline duty. Beamers shoot a constant beam (get it? eh? eh?) which causes steady damage. This makes it ideal for dealing with attacks from both heavier units like Hammers/Thuds or much lighter units like Fleas, where it can instantly move on to the next target when the first one is destroyed, rather than waiting for a lengthy cool-down period. These also have a slightly longer range than vanilla LLTs.

The HLLT, on the other hand, is pretty much just a beefed up LLT. It has two turrets, allowing it to target two enemies simultaneously or concentrate on a single one. They have more than their fair share of hit points.

====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.

====Packo/SAM Anti-air Turret====

These are much more durable than standard missile towers and fire homing missiles quite rapidly. They are good at taking out large number of lighter planes quickly, making them a very effective fighter swarm counter. They will struggle to kill level 2 gunships and bombers unless used in large numbers, making flak cannons and level 2 missile towers a better choice against these units. The Packo can retract into a shielded underground state, largely protecting it from ground attack. The SAM just has more hitpoints.

====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.''

Besides Mercury/Screamer towers, these are the longest-range anti-air units you can build.

These buildings do extra damage against bombers.

====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 trajectory", which causes it to fire more damaging but highly inaccurate shells with a large area of effect in a high arc, or "Low trajectory", 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.

These do extra damage against amphibious units, and are therefore a good choice for defending a shoreline against a "fully submerged" opponent.

====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.

====Dargon's Claw/Dragon's Maw====

These are stealthy defensive structures (really stationary units) that can disguise themselves as Dragon's Teeth. When disguised, they can take significant amounts of damage, just like any "pop-up" weapon. If an enemy wanders into range, they'll reveal themselves and attack with a short-ranged lightning cannon (Arm) or flamethrower (Core). When destroyed, they leave behind ordinary Dragon's Teeth.

===Level 2 Defensive Structures===

====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 or nuclear weapons.

====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 totally under water, and so can only be targeted 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 must be constructed before launch) all the way across any map, each of which can destroy a substantial portion of an enemy base. Very few things (such as specialized structures that are in an armoured state by default) can survive a nuke blast, though the missiles can be easily intercepted by Protectors/Fortitudes.

====Juno====

The Juno is a much more limited ballistic 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 sheild that stops all manner of plasma weapons, gauss shells, and EMG fire, but it 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.

The sheild needs to be charged to stop shells, you can determine it's level of charge by how the sheild appears, a barely visible sheild has no or very low charge whereas a bright white sheild is fully charged. The sheild consumes energy to charge.

The sheild can hold it's onw for quite a while against VLRPCs, bur RFVLRPCS can bring them down near instantly.

====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. A cluster of these structures packed into a chokepoint or lined up in front of some Annihilators/Doomsday Machines can do quite a lot of damage. When not in use, they fold away into a concrete bunker, making them effectively immune to long-range artillery and even nuke strikes.

===Arm Level 2 Defensive Structures===

====Detonator====

The Detonator fires ballistic EMP missiles that paralyze units caught inside the blast. Their projectiles cannot be intercepted, making them very good at "preparing" enemy defensive structures or units for an attack. Like nukes and anti-nukes, the Detonator must build each shot before it can be used.

===Core Level 2 Defensive Structures===

====Inferno====

Wide-arc flamethrower. Good against swarms or for use in conjunction with several other Infernos against bigger units, or simply as one more extra support turret in a massively fortified front line.

====Catalyst====

A short-range tactical nuke launcher. The Catalyst's ballistic missile cannot be intercepted by anti-nukes but do significantly less damage than full-sized nukes. This makes them poor at destroying bases, but very good at softening up an enemy defensive line before an attack.

==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 KBots===

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====

Slightly 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 have a long range but 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 are shorter-ranged than Rocko/Storm rockets, but can 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 KBots===

====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 KBots===

The Core has no unique Level 1 KBots.

===Common Lvl 2 KBots===

====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-conceived 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 reanimated corpses of the enemy's attack force into your service to supplement 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 useful for getting past an enemy's defences.

===Arm Lvl 2 KBots===

====Fido====

A very average level 2 KBot. Weaker than a [[#Zeus|Zeus]] or [[#Maverick|Maverick]] but faster and cheaper. Versatile but not particularly good at any one thing. The Fido has two fire modes, which can be toggled by switching its "Active State" between "On" and "Off". The default uses a long-range, slow-firing direct-fire gauss cannon. It's fairly accurate but relatively low-damage. The "Ballistic Cannon" mode fires a less-accurate shell that travels in a higher, ballistic arc, allowing it to fire over other units, Dragon's Teeth, and hills.

====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. Average durability and speed for an L2 unit, but capable of doing impressive damage. It destroys L1 units and light defences with ease. The Maverick also auto-repairs in combat and has a longer visual range than most units, making one or two good "spotters" for a unit of other KBots.

====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, provided you have something to soak up enemy fire while the Sharpshooters do their work.

====Recluse====

A spider KBot that can climb up almost anything. Can cause nightmares for unprepared opponents 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.

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. Even on open ground, the paralyzer weapon makes it an excellent unit to mix in with an assault force, as a couple of shots can take an enemy unit out of the battle for a few seconds, and will probably focus all the enemy's fire on the Spider.

====Scarab====

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.

===Core Lvl 2 KBots===

====Pyro====

Core's level 2 [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/wiki/Swarming swarm]/assault unit unit. Halfway between a Zipper and a Zeus in toughness and speed. 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. Generally, you'll want to back these up with Cans.

====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. Longer weapon range and more power, as well as a much faster fire rate. 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. Good at countering light Level 3 KBots. Like the Can, it has a combat auto-repair.

====Morty====

A support KBot with a very big gun. Has a long range and fires fast, 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 torpedoes 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 or Raiders near the front lines to reinforce your assault force can be very effective!

====Dominator====

Another artillery support KBot, the Dominator fires vertically-launched rockets. These are only slightly longer-ranged 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, but it can cloak too. Combined with radar jamming, a Skuttle can blast an impressive hole in even the toughest defences.

====Leejen====

A light and fast but totally unarmed scout KBot. Cheap unit, good for scouting ahead of a force for things like stealth units, mines, and enemy defences. Has a very short-ranged radar for spotting cloaked units, etc.

===Common Lvl 3 KBots===

====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 Annihilators/Doomsday Machines, 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, or a few Sumos, though it can outrun the Sumos.

====Marauder====

A medium amphibious assault unit. Very fast moving on land, and can be 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 bypass enemy defences.

====Aegis====

A mobile EMP ballistic missile 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 KBots===

====Krogoth====

An [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/wiki/Uberweapon Uberweapon]. Costs absurd amounts of resources. Slightly more powerful and tougher than the Orcone, and features a shotgun-style blaster which is ideal for concentrated fire on a single heavy target or spread fire over a swarm of lesser units.

====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 vulnerable 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. Juggernauts have a lot of hit points, so they can also be used as a sort of "rolling front line". Should ideally have a group of support construction units for when its job is done and it's lost a lot of health.

====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. In groups of three or more, these can tear apart an enemy base in as little as 60 seconds. They should be guarded well by units such as Sumos, Cans, and Karganeths.

==Vehicles==

Vehicles use wheels or tracks to move. They're generaly fast, 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 Vehicles===

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 equivalent 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.

====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 equivalent 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 fair 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 (to their peril).

===Arm Lvl 1 Vehicles===

====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 Vehicles===

====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 Vehicles===

====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 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. They are slower than other forms of mobile artillery but tougher, making them good at assaulting enemy defensive structures.

====Triton/Croc====

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. The usual limitations of amphibious units apply.

====Bulldog/Reaper====

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

===Arm Lvl 2 Vehicles===

====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, especially once L3 units start rolling out. 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 and Zeus. These can be used to construct front-line reinforcements or even, with the help of jammers, construct an entire attack force for use against an unwary opponent.

===Core Lvl 2 Vehicles===

====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. While expensive, a force of goliaths can do very impressive damage and can be very difficult to stop, especially since it auto-repairs even during combat. 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.

====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. Its shots have a fairly large scatter, making them great at wiping out clustered defences or resource buildings.

====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.

==Aircraft==

Aircraft are airborne combat units. They're fast, can cross any terrain, but can take very little damage. Most aircraft are specialized, and designed for a specific task. Against units not built specifically to counter them, aircraft are very effective. Against anti-air units, they are at a significant disadvantage. Generally air units are not a base busting assault weapon, but anyone who assumes that they are useless will play at a significant disadvantage. Aircraft can be put to several uses, even in the late game:

Scouting: You've built a [[#Big Bertha/Intimidator|VLRPC]] (or ten). The sounds of each successive shell exploding in your enemy's base is slowly ratcheting up the pressure. But how do you know whether the pride of your army is destroying important enemy buildings, or killing peewees and solar collectors? Build some airplanes and have a look. You can then aim your Big Bertha at a worthy target. If your enemies build LRPCs, but only one player builds planes, guess who will find and destroy the opposing LRPCs first?

A few light aircraft can also be a great investment ahead of a ground attack. You can spot holes in the defence to aim for or unexpected resistance to retreat from before taking losses. They can provide line of sight for long range artillery to start pounding opposing defences. And what is that blob of units coming towards you on the radar? A plane can tell you if its 20 peewees or 20 goliaths. Any empty space on the map? Send a plane to scout at random intervals; you might find and prevent an opponent preparing a nasty surprise under cover of a radar jammer.

In general terms, scout aircraft are invaluable, as they're a very reliable mechanism for gathering precise information about the battlefield, even through heavy radar jamming and enemy fire.

Overwhelming: Focus efforts on building a large devestating force of bombers or gunships. With enough effort or against an unsuspecting victim, you may create a large enough air attack to devestate a base with insufficient anti-air defence. If your opponent ''does'' build enough anti-air defences, the setback to your economy from this effort will be serious.

Defence: An often overlooked aspect of aircraft is their use for base defence. They have the advantage of being able to intercept an attack from any direction quickly. If the attack force does not include a significant anti air componenent, your planes can attack while taking very little damage in return. [[#Hawk/Vamp|Hawks/Vamps]] are particularly good at this, and while they're unlikely to do fatal damage to ground units, they're excellent at intercepting and destroying enemy airstrikes. Level 2 bombers and gunships can provide a more adiquate dfence against ground assaults. A few Arm Stilletos, for instance, can provide an effective defence against nearly any attack.

Strategic strikes: Sometimes your opponent has a key building you badly want to destroy. It might be a [[#Retaliator/Silencer|nuclear silo]], [[#Protector/Fortitude|nuclear defence]], or a [[#Vulcan/Buzzsaw|rapid fire LRPC]]. Perhaps a [[#Moho Geothermal Powerplant|moho geothermal]], or [[#Advanced Fusion Reactor|advanced fusion]] that could take half the base with it if you can kill it. Or a [[#Commander|Commander]]. A determined bombing assault can often do the trick. Air has an unequaled ability to rapidly move and concentrate force to attack a key location. Just make sure the target is worth the effort, as in most games the planes that will get destroyed by anti-air in such a strike will represent a significant investment of resources. You'll need to use ground forces to capitalize on the strike.

All aircraft have a limited-range sonar, allowing them to see submerged units immediately under them. Aircraft generally cost larger amounts of energy, and lower amounts of metal when compared with other units. This can energy stall an unprepared player who tries to build an air force too early in the game. Aircraft also take a long time to build. Building an Air Factory as your first factory is a high-risk move guaranteed to slow down economic expansion drastrically.

===Common Lvl 1 Aircraft===

====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. Carries flares to reduce the effectiveness of guided AA weapons. They're best used as scouts, to spot targets for long-range artillery or attack forces. As they're cheap, fast, airborne, carry radar, and have a good sight range, Peepers and Finks are among the best scouts in the game. It's almost always worth building an L1 Aircraft Plant even if you only use it for building these.

====Freedom Fighter/Avenger====

A basic fighter aircraft. Fast and maneuverable, but can't take much damage. Carries a homing missile that can attack ground or air targets. Although they're not specifically designed for it, a group of 20-30 of these can be quickly and cheaply built in the late game to harass enemy units to great effect. Great against level 1 aircraft, and useful against level 2 aircraft and ground units if built in a large enough swarm. They are also extremely effective against gunships of all kinds.

An effective tactic can be to slowly assemble a group of these and then use them to raid your enemy's resources; from then on, he'll be forced to build extensive anti-air even if you don't plan on ever using air again. If your enemy is spending half his resources to defend against an attack that's not coming....

====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, but if you can find an opening in the enemy's anti-aircraft defences, a quick raid with air transports could exploit it very effectively. Even against moderate AA, a swarm of Atlases (20-ish) will often be able to drop off at least a few units behind enemy lines before they die.

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 Aircraft===

====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 damage, 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 vulnerable to flak.

As with all gunships, banshees take slightly (~20%) reduced damage from missiles compared to other types of aircraft.

===Core Lvl 1 Aircraft===

====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 paralysing serious threats. It can hover, allowing it to attack slow-moving or stationary ground units very effectively but making it vulnerable to flak.

Many Core players have gone on the record to say that the only reason they like Core so much is the Bladewing. With its ability to temporarily remove any one unit from a fight, you can effectively take the wind out of your enemy's sails if that one unit is, for instance, a Bantha.

Be aware that superweapons and Commanders are nigh-invulnerable to paralyzer weapons. Concentrated fire may temporarily stun them, but they'll be back in action practically the instant you stop firing.

===Common Lvl 2 Aircraft===

====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 AA in general and flak in particular. Before the enemy has significant flak defences, Brawlers and Rapiers are viable for assaults. After that point, they're best used to raid areas of the enemy base lacking flak for whatever reason, or harass assault forces that have insufficient AA cover. These are also fairly supicable to fighters, especialy when traveling to or from a target.

Be aware that Brawlers and Rapiers do significant damage to other gunships in the area when they explode. This means that, beyond about 15-20 gunships, additional gunships won't actually contribute much to a swarm's effectiveness. If you do find yourself with more than this, split them up into multiple groups.

====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, regardless of what it is. 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.

As advanced missile towers and flak get built, the ability of Phoenixes and Hurricanes to hit targets anywhere in a base diminishes. They remain useful for striking targets near the edge, and can be good for softening up a defence line or breaking a hole in it before an attack, but typically need to withdraw (or will be destroyed) after one or two passes.

Because of their bomb scattering attribute, a group of even 5+ Phoenix or Hurricanes can be used to quickly massacre even a moderately fast-moving attack group if it isn't protected by a strong anti-air presence.

====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, gunships, and level 1 fighters. Not so good offensively, though, as they suck at attacking ground targets. They're good at intercepting enemy airstrikes and providing AA defence for the skies over your base or contested territory.

Note that stealth fighters are excellent AA cover for ground assault forces. Because they're stealthy, they can't be picked up on radar and destroyed by [[#Mercury/Screamer|Mercuries/Screamers]] until they actually engage the enemy. By that time, it's usually too late. You will probably lose all of your Hawks/Vamps, but your enemy's air-swarm will also be dead.

====Eagle/Vulture====

A more sophisticated recon plane. Has a longer radar range and carries a real sonar. Information about your enemy's activities is vital for both attack and defence, and the Eagle/Vulture can tell you a lot. Since they're more expensive than the Peeper/Fink, they're less expendable, making them less useful for quick scouting once AA is deployed. Carry flares to improve their survivability against guided missiles.

===Arm Lvl 2 Aircraft===

====Blade====

A gunship with even more armor and an even bigger weapon. They're tough and reasonably fast, making them good support for your assault forces or base defenses once the enemy deploys flak cannons. Hawks/Vamps, Mercuries/Screamers, and Freedom Fighters/Avengers still work well against them.

Because of a Blade's heavy armor, they take only 50% damage from flak guns, in addition to the standard 20% damage reduction for missile attacks on gunships. In short, they're Arm's ultimate high-flying badasses. Like other gunships, they still "chain-explode", making large packs much easier to kill.

====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 Hawks/Vamps and Freedom Fighters/Avengers, 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, or greater amounts of smaller units. Unlike level 1 transports these can be used in an assault role providiing enemy AA isnt incredibly strong. The ability to drop several units into an enemy base is not to be underestimated.

====Stilleto====

A stealthy bomber whose weapon paralyzes targets caught in the blast. Good for softening up a defence line or assault force. These units are highly resiliant against anti-aircraft fire, with a relativley high amount of hitpoints, radar invisibility, and flares to deflect missiles. On the offensive it can be used to disable enemy AA or ground turrets, allowing you to move in a more damaging force. On defence it can disable large amounts of small units, or even the large mechs which have no defence against such aircraft.

===Core Lvl 2 Aircraft===

====Seahook====

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

====Krow====

Flying instagib. With its three heavy, rapid-firing lasers, it will kill anything that isn't a group of 5+ flak guns or a fighter swarm.

==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 Ships and Subs===

====Skeeter/Searcher====

The naval equivalent 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. They are also useful as anti-air for early attacks, before you can get/need the standard AA ships ([[#Archer/Shredder|Archer/Shredder]]).

====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 Ships and Subs===

====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 much more accurate heavy laser. These ships can dominate enemy fleets but are expensive and very weak against submarines and aircraft. 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 sea-borne 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.

==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 Hovercraft===

====Mausser/Navarone====

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

====Swatter/Slinger====

An anti-air 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. Neither can stand up to proper tanks or ships, but they're very good for quick attacks over small bodies of water.

====Wombat/Nixer====

A hovercraft with a vertically-launched artillery rocket. Very similar to the Merl/Diplomat, but with a shorter range, faster fire rate, and lower 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.) These effectively form the tier 3 of aircraft. While the ranks of seaplanes do not include units like Krows or Krogoths, they are far more cost effective, more powerful, generally nimbler, faster, and so on. Seaplane factories can only be built on the water by Advanced Construction Submarines and Aircraft

===Common Lvl 1 Seaplanes===

====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. Carries flares to help protect it against guided missiles.

====Tornado/Voodoo====

Basic fighter seaplane. Similar to the Hawk/Vamp, but not stealthy and with a less powerful air-to-air missile. Although they will generally lose to a Hawk/Vamp in a head-to-head fight, they are far less expensive and faster to build.

====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. About the same general power level as a Brawler/Rapier, but slightly more cost-effective, quick, and nimble. 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/Maelstrom====

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

2006-07-11T17:36:48Z

Egarwaen: /* Hawk/Vamp */ Added note about Stealth and LRMTs.

This is the Practical AA Guide. It has information such as ways to best use units, and things to avoid. To answer more technical questions, such as exactly how much damage per second a weapon is capable of, or precise build costs of a particular unit, you may want to visit the [http://ta-aa.sourceforge.net/modweb Technical AA Guide].

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 in the first few minutes of the game, and destroys any reclaimable wreckage. His laser should be more than enough against small groups of raiders. Whatever you do, '''do not''' D-Gun your own structures or units unless it's that or lose the game.

The Commander has a small but constant auto-repair, which makes him better able to handle fire from raiders and sporadic artillery hits.

==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 Resource Structures===

====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 Collector====

More expensive than a [[#Wind Generator|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 Metal Maker consumes 100e and produces 1m. When building metal makers, always use the [[Metal Maker AI]].

There are also floating versions of this structure, these ae somhat more efficient, consuming 90e and producing 1m.

====Advanced Solar Collector====

The Advanced Solar Generator produces about four times as much energy (75 per tick) as a regular [[#Solar Collector|Solar Collector]], but costs correspondingly more metal and significantly more energy. Their advantage over regular Solar Collectors is that they have a smaller footprint (4x4 instead of 5x5). They cannot close into a more armored form, but they do have more health.

====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.

Geothermal powerplants, much like the level 2 Moho Geothermal Powerplants, have a nasty explosion. Be careful what you build around them since they will be a prime target of opportunity.

Absolute Annihilation gives Arm increased output from geothermal powerplants.

====Energy/Metal Storage====

As the name indicates, these structures provide you with additional energy and metal storage. Since all resource structures in AA come with some 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 usually be using up your metal as fast as you can without stalling. ''However'' if you're reclaiming a lot of things, especially any [[#Commander|Commander]] wreckage laying about, you'll need these in order to make sure you receive all your metal.

===Arm Level 1 Resource Structures===

====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 necessary. Watch out for this when killing them if the enemy has some units nearby, as paralyzed units are easy prey.

===Core Level 1 Resource Structures===

====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 Resource Structures===

====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. Unlike Moho Mines in [[XTA]], they only cost 25 energy to operate. 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.

Absolute Annihilation gives Core slightly better energy output on their fusion plants.

====Moho Metal Maker====

A bigger, better metal maker. Takes much more energy to operate, but produces much more metal, and does so more efficently. 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, wich is the most efficent energy to metal convertor of all.

====Metal Generator====

A structure that provides a steady input of 1m at no cost other than initial construction. 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.

Absolute Annihilation gives Arm a hefty boost to their output from Moho Geothermal Powerplants.

====Advanced Fusion Reactor====

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

Absolute Annihilation gives Core a hefty boost to their Advanced Fusion Reactor's energy output. However, this is somewhat offset by the greater cost a Core player must pay if he or she wants to cloak their reactor.

===Arm Level 2 Resource Structures===

====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 Resource Structures===

====Moho 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. Behemoths have the longest range of any structure except for LRPC/RFLRPCs.

==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. Units firing on radar dots can gain better accuracy if a player or one of his allies builds a radar targeting facility. 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 by either side. Yes, this means that you can't use radar to detect enemy units inside the area of effect of one of your jammers! 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.

In the late game, as more and more of the map gets covered by radar jammers, Dragon's Eyes become one of the most effective ways to keep track of your enemy's activities. They're virtually undectable once built and can't be fooled by radar jamming or stealth, though they still can't see cloaked units.

===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 [[#Bulldog|Bulldogs]] or [[#Goliath|Goliaths]], can drive over Dragon's Teeth, destroying them in the process.

Commanders and construction planes have a speed advantage in building these, as construction bots and vehicles do a small animation whenver they start or finish constructing something. This slows them down significantly on such cheap structures.

These can be used in lines to block an enemy advance. This is useful to prevent fast raiding units from simply rushing past your defences to attack key buildings in the back of your base. They can also be used in small lines or squares surrounding a defensive structure such as a [[#Sentinel/Gaat_Gun_Heavy_Laser_Tower|heavy laser tower]]. This can provide some protection from small units with direct fire weapons such as the [[#Flash/Instigator|Flash tank]].

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

One interesting use of Dragon's Teeth is terrain modification. DTs have a substantially higher "slope tolerance" (the maximum slope they can be built on) than most structures. They can be reclaimed to recover much of the metal that went into their construction. This makes them excellent for "clearing terrain" for building other structures. Just build a single DT or a small block of them, reclaim them, and build on the now-flattened land! This is great for putting up LLTs on hills, but can also be used to place Guardians/Punishers in unexpected locations. (Tip from Felix the Cat)

===Level 1 Defensive Structures===

====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 abbreviated as "LLT". They're good for covering mostly-blocked approaches to your base (like hills), as they can kill most light raiding forces.

A good way to defend against early to mid-game attacks is to build 3 LLTs in a loose cluster at the top of any hills or in choke points. Then build a couple of radar towers behind them to help spot enemies.

Throughout any game, even to the end, LLTs should be built in key areas of your base. They will come in handy in case an enemy slips through your outer perimeter.

====Beamer/Heavy Light Laser Turret (HLLT)====

Designed as a more permanent defensive structure for highly valuable inner-base areas as well as mid-game frontline duty. Beamers shoot a constant beam (get it? eh? eh?) which causes steady damage. This makes it ideal for dealing with attacks from both heavier units like Hammers/Thuds or much lighter units like Fleas, where it can instantly move on to the next target when the first one is destroyed, rather than waiting for a lengthy cool-down period. These also have a slightly longer range than vanilla LLTs.

The HLLT, on the other hand, is pretty much just a beefed up LLT. It has two turrets, allowing it to target two enemies simultaneously or concentrate on a single one. They have more than their fair share of hit points.

====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.

====Packo/SAM Anti-air Turret====

These are much more durable than standard missile towers and fire homing missiles quite rapidly. They are good at taking out large number of lighter planes quickly, making them a very effective fighter swarm counter. They will struggle to kill level 2 gunships and bombers unless used in large numbers, making flak cannons and level 2 missile towers a better choice against these units. The Packo can retract into a shielded underground state, largely protecting it from ground attack. The SAM just has more hitpoints.

====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.''

Besides Mercury/Screamer towers, these are the longest-range anti-air units you can build.

These buildings do extra damage against bombers.

====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 trajectory", which causes it to fire more damaging but highly inaccurate shells with a large area of effect in a high arc, or "Low trajectory", 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.

These do extra damage against amphibious units, and are therefore a good choice for defending a shoreline against a "fully submerged" opponent.

====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.

====Dargon's Claw/Dragon's Maw====

These are stealthy defensive structures (really stationary units) that can disguise themselves as Dragon's Teeth. When disguised, they can take significant amounts of damage, just like any "pop-up" weapon. If an enemy wanders into range, they'll reveal themselves and attack with a short-ranged lightning cannon (Arm) or flamethrower (Core). When destroyed, they leave behind ordinary Dragon's Teeth.

===Level 2 Defensive Structures===

====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 or nuclear weapons.

====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 totally under water, and so can only be targeted 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 must be constructed before launch) all the way across any map, each of which can destroy a substantial portion of an enemy base. Very few things (such as specialized structures that are in an armoured state by default) can survive a nuke blast, though the missiles can be easily intercepted by Protectors/Fortitudes.

====Juno====

The Juno is a much more limited ballistic 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 sheild that stops all manner of plasma weapons, gauss shells, and EMG fire, but it 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.

The sheild needs to be charged to stop shells, you can determine it's level of charge by how the sheild appears, a barely visible sheild has no or very low charge whereas a bright white sheild is fully charged. The sheild consumes energy to charge.

The sheild can hold it's onw for quite a while against VLRPCs, bur RFVLRPCS can bring them down near instantly.

====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. A cluster of these structures packed into a chokepoint or lined up in front of some Annihilators/Doomsday Machines can do quite a lot of damage. When not in use, they fold away into a concrete bunker, making them effectively immune to long-range artillery and even nuke strikes.

===Arm Level 2 Defensive Structures===

====Detonator====

The Detonator fires ballistic EMP missiles that paralyze units caught inside the blast. Their projectiles cannot be intercepted, making them very good at "preparing" enemy defensive structures or units for an attack. Like nukes and anti-nukes, the Detonator must build each shot before it can be used.

===Core Level 2 Defensive Structures===

====Inferno====

Wide-arc flamethrower. Good against swarms or for use in conjunction with several other Infernos against bigger units, or simply as one more extra support turret in a massively fortified front line.

====Catalyst====

A short-range tactical nuke launcher. The Catalyst's ballistic missile cannot be intercepted by anti-nukes but do significantly less damage than full-sized nukes. This makes them poor at destroying bases, but very good at softening up an enemy defensive line before an attack.

==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 KBots===

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====

Slightly 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 have a long range but 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 are shorter-ranged than Rocko/Storm rockets, but can 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 KBots===

====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 KBots===

The Core has no unique Level 1 KBots.

===Common Lvl 2 KBots===

====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-conceived 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 reanimated corpses of the enemy's attack force into your service to supplement 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 useful for getting past an enemy's defences.

===Arm Lvl 2 KBots===

====Fido====

A very average level 2 KBot. Weaker than a [[#Zeus|Zeus]] or [[#Maverick|Maverick]] but faster and cheaper. Versatile but not particularly good at any one thing. The Fido has two fire modes, which can be toggled by switching its "Active State" between "On" and "Off". The default uses a long-range, slow-firing direct-fire gauss cannon. It's fairly accurate but relatively low-damage. The "Ballistic Cannon" mode fires a less-accurate shell that travels in a higher, ballistic arc, allowing it to fire over other units, Dragon's Teeth, and hills.

====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. Average durability and speed for an L2 unit, but capable of doing impressive damage. It destroys L1 units and light defences with ease. The Maverick also auto-repairs in combat and has a longer visual range than most units, making one or two good "spotters" for a unit of other KBots.

====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, provided you have something to soak up enemy fire while the Sharpshooters do their work.

====Recluse====

A spider KBot that can climb up almost anything. Can cause nightmares for unprepared opponents 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.

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. Even on open ground, the paralyzer weapon makes it an excellent unit to mix in with an assault force, as a couple of shots can take an enemy unit out of the battle for a few seconds, and will probably focus all the enemy's fire on the Spider.

====Scarab====

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.

===Core Lvl 2 KBots===

====Pyro====

Core's level 2 [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/wiki/Swarming swarm]/assault unit unit. Halfway between a Zipper and a Zeus in toughness and speed. 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. Generally, you'll want to back these up with Cans.

====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. Longer weapon range and more power, as well as a much faster fire rate. 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. Good at countering light Level 3 KBots. Like the Can, it has a combat auto-repair.

====Morty====

A support KBot with a very big gun. Has a long range and fires fast, 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 torpedoes 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 or Raiders near the front lines to reinforce your assault force can be very effective!

====Dominator====

Another artillery support KBot, the Dominator fires vertically-launched rockets. These are only slightly longer-ranged 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, but it can cloak too. Combined with radar jamming, a Skuttle can blast an impressive hole in even the toughest defences.

====Leejen====

A light and fast but totally unarmed scout KBot. Cheap unit, good for scouting ahead of a force for things like stealth units, mines, and enemy defences. Has a very short-ranged radar for spotting cloaked units, etc.

===Common Lvl 3 KBots===

====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 Annihilators/Doomsday Machines, 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, or a few Sumos, though it can outrun the Sumos.

====Marauder====

A medium amphibious assault unit. Very fast moving on land, and can be 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 bypass enemy defences.

====Aegis====

A mobile EMP ballistic missile 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 KBots===

====Krogoth====

An [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/wiki/Uberweapon Uberweapon]. Costs absurd amounts of resources. Slightly more powerful and tougher than the Orcone, and features a shotgun-style blaster which is ideal for concentrated fire on a single heavy target or spread fire over a swarm of lesser units.

====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 vulnerable 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. Juggernauts have a lot of hit points, so they can also be used as a sort of "rolling front line". Should ideally have a group of support construction units for when its job is done and it's lost a lot of health.

====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. In groups of three or more, these can tear apart an enemy base in as little as 60 seconds. They should be guarded well by units such as Sumos, Cans, and Karganeths.

==Vehicles==

Vehicles use wheels or tracks to move. They're generaly fast, 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 Vehicles===

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 equivalent 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.

====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 equivalent 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 fair 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 (to their peril).

===Arm Lvl 1 Vehicles===

====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 Vehicles===

====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 Vehicles===

====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 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. They are slower than other forms of mobile artillery but tougher, making them good at assaulting enemy defensive structures.

====Triton/Croc====

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. The usual limitations of amphibious units apply.

====Bulldog/Reaper====

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

===Arm Lvl 2 Vehicles===

====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, especially once L3 units start rolling out. 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 and Zeus. These can be used to construct front-line reinforcements or even, with the help of jammers, construct an entire attack force for use against an unwary opponent.

===Core Lvl 2 Vehicles===

====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. While expensive, a force of goliaths can do very impressive damage and can be very difficult to stop, especially since it auto-repairs even during combat. 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.

====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. Its shots have a fairly large scatter, making them great at wiping out clustered defences or resource buildings.

====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.

==Aircraft==

Aircraft are airborne combat units. They're fast, can cross any terrain, but can take very little damage. Most aircraft are specialized, and designed for a specific task. Against units not built specifically to counter them, aircraft are very effective. Against anti-air units, they are at a significant disadvantage. Generally air units are not a base busting assault weapon, but anyone who assumes that they are useless will play at a significant disadvantage. Aircraft can be put to several uses, even in the late game:

Scouting: You've built a [[#Big Bertha/Intimidator|VLRPC]] (or ten). The sounds of each successive shell exploding in your enemy's base is slowly ratcheting up the pressure. But how do you know whether the pride of your army is destroying important enemy buildings, or killing peewees and solar collectors? Build some airplanes and have a look. You can then aim your Big Bertha at a worthy target. If your enemies build LRPCs, but only one player builds planes, guess who will find and destroy the opposing LRPCs first?

A few light aircraft can also be a great investment ahead of a ground attack. You can spot holes in the defence to aim for or unexpected resistance to retreat from before taking losses. They can provide line of sight for long range artillery to start pounding opposing defences. And what is that blob of units coming towards you on the radar? A plane can tell you if its 20 peewees or 20 goliaths. Any empty space on the map? Send a plane to scout at random intervals; you might find and prevent an opponent preparing a nasty surprise under cover of a radar jammer.

In general terms, scout aircraft are invaluable, as they're a very reliable mechanism for gathering precise information about the battlefield, even through heavy radar jamming and enemy fire.

Overwhelming: Focus efforts on building a large devestating force of bombers or gunships. With enough effort or against an unsuspecting victim, you may create a large enough air attack to devestate a base with insufficient anti-air defence. If your opponent ''does'' build enough anti-air defences, the setback to your economy from this effort will be serious.

Defence: An often overlooked aspect of aircraft is their use for base defence. They have the advantage of being able to intercept an attack from any direction quickly. If the attack force does not include a significant anti air componenent, your planes can attack while taking very little damage in return. [[#Hawk/Vamp|Hawks/Vamps]] are particularly good at this, and while they're unlikely to do fatal damage to ground units, they're excellent at intercepting and destroying enemy airstrikes. Level 2 bombers and gunships can provide a more adiquate dfence against ground assaults. A few Arm Stilletos, for instance, can provide an effective defence against nearly any attack.

Strategic strikes: Sometimes your opponent has a key building you badly want to destroy. It might be a [[#Retaliator/Silencer|nuclear silo]], [[#Protector/Fortitude|nuclear defence]], or a [[#Vulcan/Buzzsaw|rapid fire LRPC]]. Perhaps a [[#Moho Geothermal Powerplant|moho geothermal]], or [[#Advanced Fusion Reactor|advanced fusion]] that could take half the base with it if you can kill it. Or a [[#Commander|Commander]]. A determined bombing assault can often do the trick. Air has an unequaled ability to rapidly move and concentrate force to attack a key location. Just make sure the target is worth the effort, as in most games the planes that will get destroyed by anti-air in such a strike will represent a significant investment of resources. You'll need to use ground forces to capitalize on the strike.

All aircraft have a limited-range sonar, allowing them to see submerged units immediately under them. Aircraft generally cost larger amounts of energy, and lower amounts of metal when compared with other units. This can energy stall an unprepared player who tries to build an air force too early in the game. Aircraft also take a long time to build. Building an Air Factory as your first factory is a high-risk move guaranteed to slow down economic expansion drastrically.

===Common Lvl 1 Aircraft===

====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. Carries flares to reduce the effectiveness of guided AA weapons. They're best used as scouts, to spot targets for long-range artillery or attack forces. As they're cheap, fast, airborne, carry radar, and have a good sight range, Peepers and Finks are among the best scouts in the game. It's almost always worth building an L1 Aircraft Plant even if you only use it for building these.

====Freedom Fighter/Avenger====

A basic fighter aircraft. Fast and maneuverable, but can't take much damage. Carries a homing missile that can attack ground or air targets. Although they're not specifically designed for it, a group of 20-30 of these can be quickly and cheaply built in the late game to harass enemy units to great effect. Great against level 1 aircraft, and useful against level 2 aircraft and ground units if built in a large enough swarm. They are also extremely effective against gunships of all kinds.

An effective tactic can be to slowly assemble a group of these and then use them to raid your enemy's resources; from then on, he'll be forced to build extensive anti-air even if you don't plan on ever using air again. If your enemy is spending half his resources to defend against an attack that's not coming....

====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, but if you can find an opening in the enemy's anti-aircraft defences, a quick raid with air transports could exploit it very effectively. Even against moderate AA, a swarm of Atlases (20-ish) will often be able to drop off at least a few units behind enemy lines before they die.

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 Aircraft===

====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 damage, 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 vulnerable to flak.

As with all gunships, banshees take slightly (~20%) reduced damage from missiles compared to other types of aircraft.

===Core Lvl 1 Aircraft===

====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 paralysing serious threats. It can hover, allowing it to attack slow-moving or stationary ground units very effectively but making it vulnerable to flak.

Many Core players have gone on the record to say that the only reason they like Core so much is the Bladewing. With its ability to temporarily remove any one unit from a fight, you can effectively take the wind out of your enemy's sails if that one unit is, for instance, a Bantha.

Be aware that superweapons and Commanders are nigh-invulnerable to paralyzer weapons. Concentrated fire may temporarily stun them, but they'll be back in action practically the instant you stop firing.

===Common Lvl 2 Aircraft===

====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 AA in general and flak in particular. Before the enemy has significant flak defences, Brawlers and Rapiers are viable for assaults. After that point, they're best used to raid areas of the enemy base lacking flak for whatever reason, or harass assault forces that have insufficient AA cover. These are also fairly supicable to fighters, especialy when traveling to or from a target.

Be aware that Brawlers and Rapiers do significant damage to other gunships in the area when they explode. This means that, beyond about 15-20 gunships, additional gunships won't actually contribute much to a swarm's effectiveness. If you do find yourself with more than this, split them up into multiple groups.

====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, regardless of what it is. 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.

As advanced missile towers and flak get built, the ability of Phoenixes and Hurricanes to hit targets anywhere in a base diminishes. They remain useful for striking targets near the edge, and can be good for softening up a defence line or breaking a hole in it before an attack, but typically need to withdraw (or will be destroyed) after one or two passes.

Because of their bomb scattering attribute, a group of even 5+ Phoenix or Hurricanes can be used to quickly massacre even a moderately fast-moving attack group if it isn't protected by a strong anti-air presence.

====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, gunships, and level 1 fighters. Not so good offensively, though, as they suck at attacking ground targets. They're good at intercepting enemy airstrikes and providing AA defence for the skies over your base or contested territory.

Note that stealth fighters are excellent AA cover for ground assault forces. Because they're stealthy, they can't be picked up on radar and destroyed by [[#Mercury/Screamer|Mercuries/Screamers]] until they actually engage the enemy. By that time, it's usually too late. You will probably lose all of your Hawks/Vamps, but your enemy's air-swarm will also be dead.

====Eagle/Vulture====

A more sophisticated recon plane. Has a longer radar range and carries a real sonar. Information about your enemy's activities is vital for both attack and defence, and the Eagle/Vulture can tell you a lot. Since they're more expensive than the Peeper/Fink, they're less expendable, making them less useful for quick scouting once AA is deployed. Carry flares to improve their survivability against guided missiles.

===Arm Lvl 2 Aircraft===

====Blade====

A gunship with even more armor and an even bigger weapon. They're tough and reasonably fast, making them good support for your assault forces once the enemy deploys flak cannons and Mercuries/Screamers. Hawks/Vamps and Freedom Fighters/Avengers still work well against them.

Because of a Blade's heavy armor, they take only 50% damage from flak guns, in addition to the standard 20% damage reduction for missile attacks on gunships. In short, they're Arm's ultimate high-flying badasses.

====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 Hawks/Vamps and Freedom Fighters/Avengers, 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, or greater amounts of smaller units. Unlike level 1 transports these can be used in an assault role providiing enemy AA isnt incredibly strong. The ability to drop several units into an enemy base is not to be underestimated.

====Stilleto====

A stealthy bomber whose weapon paralyzes targets caught in the blast. Good for softening up a defence line or assault force. These units are highly resiliant against anti-aircraft fire, with a relativley high amount of hitpoints, radar invisibility, and flares to deflect missiles. On the offensive it can be used to disable enemy AA or ground turrets, allowing you to move in a more damaging force. On defence it can disable large amounts of small units, or even the large mechs which have no defence against such aircraft.

===Core Lvl 2 Aircraft===

====Seahook====

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

====Krow====

Flying instagib. With its three heavy, rapid-firing lasers, it will kill anything that isn't a group of 5+ flak guns or a fighter swarm.

==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 Ships and Subs===

====Skeeter/Searcher====

The naval equivalent 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. They are also useful as anti-air for early attacks, before you can get/need the standard AA ships ([[#Archer/Shredder|Archer/Shredder]]).

====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 Ships and Subs===

====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 much more accurate heavy laser. These ships can dominate enemy fleets but are expensive and very weak against submarines and aircraft. 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 sea-borne 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.

==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 Hovercraft===

====Mausser/Navarone====

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

====Swatter/Slinger====

An anti-air 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. Neither can stand up to proper tanks or ships, but they're very good for quick attacks over small bodies of water.

====Wombat/Nixer====

A hovercraft with a vertically-launched artillery rocket. Very similar to the Merl/Diplomat, but with a shorter range, faster fire rate, and lower 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.) These effectively form the tier 3 of aircraft. While the ranks of seaplanes do not include units like Krows or Krogoths, they are far more cost effective, more powerful, generally nimbler, faster, and so on. Seaplane factories can only be built on the water by Advanced Construction Submarines and Aircraft

===Common Lvl 1 Seaplanes===

====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. Carries flares to help protect it against guided missiles.

====Tornado/Voodoo====

Basic fighter seaplane. Similar to the Hawk/Vamp, but not stealthy and with a less powerful air-to-air missile. Although they will generally lose to a Hawk/Vamp in a head-to-head fight, they are far less expensive and faster to build.

====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. About the same general power level as a Brawler/Rapier, but slightly more cost-effective, quick, and nimble. 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/Maelstrom====

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

2006-07-11T17:33:40Z

Egarwaen: /* Brawler/Rapier */ Actually include a note about chain-explosions.

This is the Practical AA Guide. It has information such as ways to best use units, and things to avoid. To answer more technical questions, such as exactly how much damage per second a weapon is capable of, or precise build costs of a particular unit, you may want to visit the [http://ta-aa.sourceforge.net/modweb Technical AA Guide].

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 in the first few minutes of the game, and destroys any reclaimable wreckage. His laser should be more than enough against small groups of raiders. Whatever you do, '''do not''' D-Gun your own structures or units unless it's that or lose the game.

The Commander has a small but constant auto-repair, which makes him better able to handle fire from raiders and sporadic artillery hits.

==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 Resource Structures===

====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 Collector====

More expensive than a [[#Wind Generator|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 Metal Maker consumes 100e and produces 1m. When building metal makers, always use the [[Metal Maker AI]].

There are also floating versions of this structure, these ae somhat more efficient, consuming 90e and producing 1m.

====Advanced Solar Collector====

The Advanced Solar Generator produces about four times as much energy (75 per tick) as a regular [[#Solar Collector|Solar Collector]], but costs correspondingly more metal and significantly more energy. Their advantage over regular Solar Collectors is that they have a smaller footprint (4x4 instead of 5x5). They cannot close into a more armored form, but they do have more health.

====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.

Geothermal powerplants, much like the level 2 Moho Geothermal Powerplants, have a nasty explosion. Be careful what you build around them since they will be a prime target of opportunity.

Absolute Annihilation gives Arm increased output from geothermal powerplants.

====Energy/Metal Storage====

As the name indicates, these structures provide you with additional energy and metal storage. Since all resource structures in AA come with some 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 usually be using up your metal as fast as you can without stalling. ''However'' if you're reclaiming a lot of things, especially any [[#Commander|Commander]] wreckage laying about, you'll need these in order to make sure you receive all your metal.

===Arm Level 1 Resource Structures===

====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 necessary. Watch out for this when killing them if the enemy has some units nearby, as paralyzed units are easy prey.

===Core Level 1 Resource Structures===

====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 Resource Structures===

====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. Unlike Moho Mines in [[XTA]], they only cost 25 energy to operate. 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.

Absolute Annihilation gives Core slightly better energy output on their fusion plants.

====Moho Metal Maker====

A bigger, better metal maker. Takes much more energy to operate, but produces much more metal, and does so more efficently. 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, wich is the most efficent energy to metal convertor of all.

====Metal Generator====

A structure that provides a steady input of 1m at no cost other than initial construction. 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.

Absolute Annihilation gives Arm a hefty boost to their output from Moho Geothermal Powerplants.

====Advanced Fusion Reactor====

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

Absolute Annihilation gives Core a hefty boost to their Advanced Fusion Reactor's energy output. However, this is somewhat offset by the greater cost a Core player must pay if he or she wants to cloak their reactor.

===Arm Level 2 Resource Structures===

====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 Resource Structures===

====Moho 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. Behemoths have the longest range of any structure except for LRPC/RFLRPCs.

==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. Units firing on radar dots can gain better accuracy if a player or one of his allies builds a radar targeting facility. 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 by either side. Yes, this means that you can't use radar to detect enemy units inside the area of effect of one of your jammers! 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.

In the late game, as more and more of the map gets covered by radar jammers, Dragon's Eyes become one of the most effective ways to keep track of your enemy's activities. They're virtually undectable once built and can't be fooled by radar jamming or stealth, though they still can't see cloaked units.

===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 [[#Bulldog|Bulldogs]] or [[#Goliath|Goliaths]], can drive over Dragon's Teeth, destroying them in the process.

Commanders and construction planes have a speed advantage in building these, as construction bots and vehicles do a small animation whenver they start or finish constructing something. This slows them down significantly on such cheap structures.

These can be used in lines to block an enemy advance. This is useful to prevent fast raiding units from simply rushing past your defences to attack key buildings in the back of your base. They can also be used in small lines or squares surrounding a defensive structure such as a [[#Sentinel/Gaat_Gun_Heavy_Laser_Tower|heavy laser tower]]. This can provide some protection from small units with direct fire weapons such as the [[#Flash/Instigator|Flash tank]].

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

One interesting use of Dragon's Teeth is terrain modification. DTs have a substantially higher "slope tolerance" (the maximum slope they can be built on) than most structures. They can be reclaimed to recover much of the metal that went into their construction. This makes them excellent for "clearing terrain" for building other structures. Just build a single DT or a small block of them, reclaim them, and build on the now-flattened land! This is great for putting up LLTs on hills, but can also be used to place Guardians/Punishers in unexpected locations. (Tip from Felix the Cat)

===Level 1 Defensive Structures===

====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 abbreviated as "LLT". They're good for covering mostly-blocked approaches to your base (like hills), as they can kill most light raiding forces.

A good way to defend against early to mid-game attacks is to build 3 LLTs in a loose cluster at the top of any hills or in choke points. Then build a couple of radar towers behind them to help spot enemies.

Throughout any game, even to the end, LLTs should be built in key areas of your base. They will come in handy in case an enemy slips through your outer perimeter.

====Beamer/Heavy Light Laser Turret (HLLT)====

Designed as a more permanent defensive structure for highly valuable inner-base areas as well as mid-game frontline duty. Beamers shoot a constant beam (get it? eh? eh?) which causes steady damage. This makes it ideal for dealing with attacks from both heavier units like Hammers/Thuds or much lighter units like Fleas, where it can instantly move on to the next target when the first one is destroyed, rather than waiting for a lengthy cool-down period. These also have a slightly longer range than vanilla LLTs.

The HLLT, on the other hand, is pretty much just a beefed up LLT. It has two turrets, allowing it to target two enemies simultaneously or concentrate on a single one. They have more than their fair share of hit points.

====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.

====Packo/SAM Anti-air Turret====

These are much more durable than standard missile towers and fire homing missiles quite rapidly. They are good at taking out large number of lighter planes quickly, making them a very effective fighter swarm counter. They will struggle to kill level 2 gunships and bombers unless used in large numbers, making flak cannons and level 2 missile towers a better choice against these units. The Packo can retract into a shielded underground state, largely protecting it from ground attack. The SAM just has more hitpoints.

====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.''

Besides Mercury/Screamer towers, these are the longest-range anti-air units you can build.

These buildings do extra damage against bombers.

====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 trajectory", which causes it to fire more damaging but highly inaccurate shells with a large area of effect in a high arc, or "Low trajectory", 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.

These do extra damage against amphibious units, and are therefore a good choice for defending a shoreline against a "fully submerged" opponent.

====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.

====Dargon's Claw/Dragon's Maw====

These are stealthy defensive structures (really stationary units) that can disguise themselves as Dragon's Teeth. When disguised, they can take significant amounts of damage, just like any "pop-up" weapon. If an enemy wanders into range, they'll reveal themselves and attack with a short-ranged lightning cannon (Arm) or flamethrower (Core). When destroyed, they leave behind ordinary Dragon's Teeth.

===Level 2 Defensive Structures===

====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 or nuclear weapons.

====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 totally under water, and so can only be targeted 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 must be constructed before launch) all the way across any map, each of which can destroy a substantial portion of an enemy base. Very few things (such as specialized structures that are in an armoured state by default) can survive a nuke blast, though the missiles can be easily intercepted by Protectors/Fortitudes.

====Juno====

The Juno is a much more limited ballistic 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 sheild that stops all manner of plasma weapons, gauss shells, and EMG fire, but it 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.

The sheild needs to be charged to stop shells, you can determine it's level of charge by how the sheild appears, a barely visible sheild has no or very low charge whereas a bright white sheild is fully charged. The sheild consumes energy to charge.

The sheild can hold it's onw for quite a while against VLRPCs, bur RFVLRPCS can bring them down near instantly.

====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. A cluster of these structures packed into a chokepoint or lined up in front of some Annihilators/Doomsday Machines can do quite a lot of damage. When not in use, they fold away into a concrete bunker, making them effectively immune to long-range artillery and even nuke strikes.

===Arm Level 2 Defensive Structures===

====Detonator====

The Detonator fires ballistic EMP missiles that paralyze units caught inside the blast. Their projectiles cannot be intercepted, making them very good at "preparing" enemy defensive structures or units for an attack. Like nukes and anti-nukes, the Detonator must build each shot before it can be used.

===Core Level 2 Defensive Structures===

====Inferno====

Wide-arc flamethrower. Good against swarms or for use in conjunction with several other Infernos against bigger units, or simply as one more extra support turret in a massively fortified front line.

====Catalyst====

A short-range tactical nuke launcher. The Catalyst's ballistic missile cannot be intercepted by anti-nukes but do significantly less damage than full-sized nukes. This makes them poor at destroying bases, but very good at softening up an enemy defensive line before an attack.

==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 KBots===

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====

Slightly 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 have a long range but 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 are shorter-ranged than Rocko/Storm rockets, but can 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 KBots===

====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 KBots===

The Core has no unique Level 1 KBots.

===Common Lvl 2 KBots===

====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-conceived 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 reanimated corpses of the enemy's attack force into your service to supplement 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 useful for getting past an enemy's defences.

===Arm Lvl 2 KBots===

====Fido====

A very average level 2 KBot. Weaker than a [[#Zeus|Zeus]] or [[#Maverick|Maverick]] but faster and cheaper. Versatile but not particularly good at any one thing. The Fido has two fire modes, which can be toggled by switching its "Active State" between "On" and "Off". The default uses a long-range, slow-firing direct-fire gauss cannon. It's fairly accurate but relatively low-damage. The "Ballistic Cannon" mode fires a less-accurate shell that travels in a higher, ballistic arc, allowing it to fire over other units, Dragon's Teeth, and hills.

====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. Average durability and speed for an L2 unit, but capable of doing impressive damage. It destroys L1 units and light defences with ease. The Maverick also auto-repairs in combat and has a longer visual range than most units, making one or two good "spotters" for a unit of other KBots.

====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, provided you have something to soak up enemy fire while the Sharpshooters do their work.

====Recluse====

A spider KBot that can climb up almost anything. Can cause nightmares for unprepared opponents 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.

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. Even on open ground, the paralyzer weapon makes it an excellent unit to mix in with an assault force, as a couple of shots can take an enemy unit out of the battle for a few seconds, and will probably focus all the enemy's fire on the Spider.

====Scarab====

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.

===Core Lvl 2 KBots===

====Pyro====

Core's level 2 [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/wiki/Swarming swarm]/assault unit unit. Halfway between a Zipper and a Zeus in toughness and speed. 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. Generally, you'll want to back these up with Cans.

====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. Longer weapon range and more power, as well as a much faster fire rate. 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. Good at countering light Level 3 KBots. Like the Can, it has a combat auto-repair.

====Morty====

A support KBot with a very big gun. Has a long range and fires fast, 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 torpedoes 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 or Raiders near the front lines to reinforce your assault force can be very effective!

====Dominator====

Another artillery support KBot, the Dominator fires vertically-launched rockets. These are only slightly longer-ranged 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, but it can cloak too. Combined with radar jamming, a Skuttle can blast an impressive hole in even the toughest defences.

====Leejen====

A light and fast but totally unarmed scout KBot. Cheap unit, good for scouting ahead of a force for things like stealth units, mines, and enemy defences. Has a very short-ranged radar for spotting cloaked units, etc.

===Common Lvl 3 KBots===

====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 Annihilators/Doomsday Machines, 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, or a few Sumos, though it can outrun the Sumos.

====Marauder====

A medium amphibious assault unit. Very fast moving on land, and can be 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 bypass enemy defences.

====Aegis====

A mobile EMP ballistic missile 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 KBots===

====Krogoth====

An [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/wiki/Uberweapon Uberweapon]. Costs absurd amounts of resources. Slightly more powerful and tougher than the Orcone, and features a shotgun-style blaster which is ideal for concentrated fire on a single heavy target or spread fire over a swarm of lesser units.

====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 vulnerable 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. Juggernauts have a lot of hit points, so they can also be used as a sort of "rolling front line". Should ideally have a group of support construction units for when its job is done and it's lost a lot of health.

====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. In groups of three or more, these can tear apart an enemy base in as little as 60 seconds. They should be guarded well by units such as Sumos, Cans, and Karganeths.

==Vehicles==

Vehicles use wheels or tracks to move. They're generaly fast, 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 Vehicles===

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 equivalent 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.

====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 equivalent 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 fair 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 (to their peril).

===Arm Lvl 1 Vehicles===

====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 Vehicles===

====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 Vehicles===

====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 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. They are slower than other forms of mobile artillery but tougher, making them good at assaulting enemy defensive structures.

====Triton/Croc====

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. The usual limitations of amphibious units apply.

====Bulldog/Reaper====

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

===Arm Lvl 2 Vehicles===

====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, especially once L3 units start rolling out. 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 and Zeus. These can be used to construct front-line reinforcements or even, with the help of jammers, construct an entire attack force for use against an unwary opponent.

===Core Lvl 2 Vehicles===

====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. While expensive, a force of goliaths can do very impressive damage and can be very difficult to stop, especially since it auto-repairs even during combat. 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.

====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. Its shots have a fairly large scatter, making them great at wiping out clustered defences or resource buildings.

====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.

==Aircraft==

Aircraft are airborne combat units. They're fast, can cross any terrain, but can take very little damage. Most aircraft are specialized, and designed for a specific task. Against units not built specifically to counter them, aircraft are very effective. Against anti-air units, they are at a significant disadvantage. Generally air units are not a base busting assault weapon, but anyone who assumes that they are useless will play at a significant disadvantage. Aircraft can be put to several uses, even in the late game:

Scouting: You've built a [[#Big Bertha/Intimidator|VLRPC]] (or ten). The sounds of each successive shell exploding in your enemy's base is slowly ratcheting up the pressure. But how do you know whether the pride of your army is destroying important enemy buildings, or killing peewees and solar collectors? Build some airplanes and have a look. You can then aim your Big Bertha at a worthy target. If your enemies build LRPCs, but only one player builds planes, guess who will find and destroy the opposing LRPCs first?

A few light aircraft can also be a great investment ahead of a ground attack. You can spot holes in the defence to aim for or unexpected resistance to retreat from before taking losses. They can provide line of sight for long range artillery to start pounding opposing defences. And what is that blob of units coming towards you on the radar? A plane can tell you if its 20 peewees or 20 goliaths. Any empty space on the map? Send a plane to scout at random intervals; you might find and prevent an opponent preparing a nasty surprise under cover of a radar jammer.

In general terms, scout aircraft are invaluable, as they're a very reliable mechanism for gathering precise information about the battlefield, even through heavy radar jamming and enemy fire.

Overwhelming: Focus efforts on building a large devestating force of bombers or gunships. With enough effort or against an unsuspecting victim, you may create a large enough air attack to devestate a base with insufficient anti-air defence. If your opponent ''does'' build enough anti-air defences, the setback to your economy from this effort will be serious.

Defence: An often overlooked aspect of aircraft is their use for base defence. They have the advantage of being able to intercept an attack from any direction quickly. If the attack force does not include a significant anti air componenent, your planes can attack while taking very little damage in return. [[#Hawk/Vamp|Hawks/Vamps]] are particularly good at this, and while they're unlikely to do fatal damage to ground units, they're excellent at intercepting and destroying enemy airstrikes. Level 2 bombers and gunships can provide a more adiquate dfence against ground assaults. A few Arm Stilletos, for instance, can provide an effective defence against nearly any attack.

Strategic strikes: Sometimes your opponent has a key building you badly want to destroy. It might be a [[#Retaliator/Silencer|nuclear silo]], [[#Protector/Fortitude|nuclear defence]], or a [[#Vulcan/Buzzsaw|rapid fire LRPC]]. Perhaps a [[#Moho Geothermal Powerplant|moho geothermal]], or [[#Advanced Fusion Reactor|advanced fusion]] that could take half the base with it if you can kill it. Or a [[#Commander|Commander]]. A determined bombing assault can often do the trick. Air has an unequaled ability to rapidly move and concentrate force to attack a key location. Just make sure the target is worth the effort, as in most games the planes that will get destroyed by anti-air in such a strike will represent a significant investment of resources. You'll need to use ground forces to capitalize on the strike.

All aircraft have a limited-range sonar, allowing them to see submerged units immediately under them. Aircraft generally cost larger amounts of energy, and lower amounts of metal when compared with other units. This can energy stall an unprepared player who tries to build an air force too early in the game. Aircraft also take a long time to build. Building an Air Factory as your first factory is a high-risk move guaranteed to slow down economic expansion drastrically.

===Common Lvl 1 Aircraft===

====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. Carries flares to reduce the effectiveness of guided AA weapons. They're best used as scouts, to spot targets for long-range artillery or attack forces. As they're cheap, fast, airborne, carry radar, and have a good sight range, Peepers and Finks are among the best scouts in the game. It's almost always worth building an L1 Aircraft Plant even if you only use it for building these.

====Freedom Fighter/Avenger====

A basic fighter aircraft. Fast and maneuverable, but can't take much damage. Carries a homing missile that can attack ground or air targets. Although they're not specifically designed for it, a group of 20-30 of these can be quickly and cheaply built in the late game to harass enemy units to great effect. Great against level 1 aircraft, and useful against level 2 aircraft and ground units if built in a large enough swarm. They are also extremely effective against gunships of all kinds.

An effective tactic can be to slowly assemble a group of these and then use them to raid your enemy's resources; from then on, he'll be forced to build extensive anti-air even if you don't plan on ever using air again. If your enemy is spending half his resources to defend against an attack that's not coming....

====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, but if you can find an opening in the enemy's anti-aircraft defences, a quick raid with air transports could exploit it very effectively. Even against moderate AA, a swarm of Atlases (20-ish) will often be able to drop off at least a few units behind enemy lines before they die.

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 Aircraft===

====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 damage, 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 vulnerable to flak.

As with all gunships, banshees take slightly (~20%) reduced damage from missiles compared to other types of aircraft.

===Core Lvl 1 Aircraft===

====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 paralysing serious threats. It can hover, allowing it to attack slow-moving or stationary ground units very effectively but making it vulnerable to flak.

Many Core players have gone on the record to say that the only reason they like Core so much is the Bladewing. With its ability to temporarily remove any one unit from a fight, you can effectively take the wind out of your enemy's sails if that one unit is, for instance, a Bantha.

Be aware that superweapons and Commanders are nigh-invulnerable to paralyzer weapons. Concentrated fire may temporarily stun them, but they'll be back in action practically the instant you stop firing.

===Common Lvl 2 Aircraft===

====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 AA in general and flak in particular. Before the enemy has significant flak defences, Brawlers and Rapiers are viable for assaults. After that point, they're best used to raid areas of the enemy base lacking flak for whatever reason, or harass assault forces that have insufficient AA cover. These are also fairly supicable to fighters, especialy when traveling to or from a target.

Be aware that Brawlers and Rapiers do significant damage to other gunships in the area when they explode. This means that, beyond about 15-20 gunships, additional gunships won't actually contribute much to a swarm's effectiveness. If you do find yourself with more than this, split them up into multiple groups.

====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, regardless of what it is. 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.

As advanced missile towers and flak get built, the ability of Phoenixes and Hurricanes to hit targets anywhere in a base diminishes. They remain useful for striking targets near the edge, and can be good for softening up a defence line or breaking a hole in it before an attack, but typically need to withdraw (or will be destroyed) after one or two passes.

Because of their bomb scattering attribute, a group of even 5+ Phoenix or Hurricanes can be used to quickly massacre even a moderately fast-moving attack group if it isn't protected by a strong anti-air presence.

====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, gunships, and level 1 fighters. Not so good offensively, though, as they suck at attacking ground targets. They're good at intercepting enemy airstrikes and providing AA defence for the skies over your base or contested territory.

====Eagle/Vulture====

A more sophisticated recon plane. Has a longer radar range and carries a real sonar. Information about your enemy's activities is vital for both attack and defence, and the Eagle/Vulture can tell you a lot. Since they're more expensive than the Peeper/Fink, they're less expendable, making them less useful for quick scouting once AA is deployed. Carry flares to improve their survivability against guided missiles.

===Arm Lvl 2 Aircraft===

====Blade====

A gunship with even more armor and an even bigger weapon. They're tough and reasonably fast, making them good support for your assault forces once the enemy deploys flak cannons and Mercuries/Screamers. Hawks/Vamps and Freedom Fighters/Avengers still work well against them.

Because of a Blade's heavy armor, they take only 50% damage from flak guns, in addition to the standard 20% damage reduction for missile attacks on gunships. In short, they're Arm's ultimate high-flying badasses.

====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 Hawks/Vamps and Freedom Fighters/Avengers, 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, or greater amounts of smaller units. Unlike level 1 transports these can be used in an assault role providiing enemy AA isnt incredibly strong. The ability to drop several units into an enemy base is not to be underestimated.

====Stilleto====

A stealthy bomber whose weapon paralyzes targets caught in the blast. Good for softening up a defence line or assault force. These units are highly resiliant against anti-aircraft fire, with a relativley high amount of hitpoints, radar invisibility, and flares to deflect missiles. On the offensive it can be used to disable enemy AA or ground turrets, allowing you to move in a more damaging force. On defence it can disable large amounts of small units, or even the large mechs which have no defence against such aircraft.

===Core Lvl 2 Aircraft===

====Seahook====

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

====Krow====

Flying instagib. With its three heavy, rapid-firing lasers, it will kill anything that isn't a group of 5+ flak guns or a fighter swarm.

==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 Ships and Subs===

====Skeeter/Searcher====

The naval equivalent 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. They are also useful as anti-air for early attacks, before you can get/need the standard AA ships ([[#Archer/Shredder|Archer/Shredder]]).

====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 Ships and Subs===

====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 much more accurate heavy laser. These ships can dominate enemy fleets but are expensive and very weak against submarines and aircraft. 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 sea-borne 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.

==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 Hovercraft===

====Mausser/Navarone====

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

====Swatter/Slinger====

An anti-air 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. Neither can stand up to proper tanks or ships, but they're very good for quick attacks over small bodies of water.

====Wombat/Nixer====

A hovercraft with a vertically-launched artillery rocket. Very similar to the Merl/Diplomat, but with a shorter range, faster fire rate, and lower 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.) These effectively form the tier 3 of aircraft. While the ranks of seaplanes do not include units like Krows or Krogoths, they are far more cost effective, more powerful, generally nimbler, faster, and so on. Seaplane factories can only be built on the water by Advanced Construction Submarines and Aircraft

===Common Lvl 1 Seaplanes===

====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. Carries flares to help protect it against guided missiles.

====Tornado/Voodoo====

Basic fighter seaplane. Similar to the Hawk/Vamp, but not stealthy and with a less powerful air-to-air missile. Although they will generally lose to a Hawk/Vamp in a head-to-head fight, they are far less expensive and faster to build.

====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. About the same general power level as a Brawler/Rapier, but slightly more cost-effective, quick, and nimble. 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/Maelstrom====

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

2006-07-11T17:31:46Z

Egarwaen: /* Atlas/Valkyrie */ Adjusted to better describe role.

This is the Practical AA Guide. It has information such as ways to best use units, and things to avoid. To answer more technical questions, such as exactly how much damage per second a weapon is capable of, or precise build costs of a particular unit, you may want to visit the [http://ta-aa.sourceforge.net/modweb Technical AA Guide].

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 in the first few minutes of the game, and destroys any reclaimable wreckage. His laser should be more than enough against small groups of raiders. Whatever you do, '''do not''' D-Gun your own structures or units unless it's that or lose the game.

The Commander has a small but constant auto-repair, which makes him better able to handle fire from raiders and sporadic artillery hits.

==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 Resource Structures===

====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 Collector====

More expensive than a [[#Wind Generator|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 Metal Maker consumes 100e and produces 1m. When building metal makers, always use the [[Metal Maker AI]].

There are also floating versions of this structure, these ae somhat more efficient, consuming 90e and producing 1m.

====Advanced Solar Collector====

The Advanced Solar Generator produces about four times as much energy (75 per tick) as a regular [[#Solar Collector|Solar Collector]], but costs correspondingly more metal and significantly more energy. Their advantage over regular Solar Collectors is that they have a smaller footprint (4x4 instead of 5x5). They cannot close into a more armored form, but they do have more health.

====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.

Geothermal powerplants, much like the level 2 Moho Geothermal Powerplants, have a nasty explosion. Be careful what you build around them since they will be a prime target of opportunity.

Absolute Annihilation gives Arm increased output from geothermal powerplants.

====Energy/Metal Storage====

As the name indicates, these structures provide you with additional energy and metal storage. Since all resource structures in AA come with some 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 usually be using up your metal as fast as you can without stalling. ''However'' if you're reclaiming a lot of things, especially any [[#Commander|Commander]] wreckage laying about, you'll need these in order to make sure you receive all your metal.

===Arm Level 1 Resource Structures===

====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 necessary. Watch out for this when killing them if the enemy has some units nearby, as paralyzed units are easy prey.

===Core Level 1 Resource Structures===

====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 Resource Structures===

====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. Unlike Moho Mines in [[XTA]], they only cost 25 energy to operate. 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.

Absolute Annihilation gives Core slightly better energy output on their fusion plants.

====Moho Metal Maker====

A bigger, better metal maker. Takes much more energy to operate, but produces much more metal, and does so more efficently. 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, wich is the most efficent energy to metal convertor of all.

====Metal Generator====

A structure that provides a steady input of 1m at no cost other than initial construction. 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.

Absolute Annihilation gives Arm a hefty boost to their output from Moho Geothermal Powerplants.

====Advanced Fusion Reactor====

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

Absolute Annihilation gives Core a hefty boost to their Advanced Fusion Reactor's energy output. However, this is somewhat offset by the greater cost a Core player must pay if he or she wants to cloak their reactor.

===Arm Level 2 Resource Structures===

====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 Resource Structures===

====Moho 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. Behemoths have the longest range of any structure except for LRPC/RFLRPCs.

==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. Units firing on radar dots can gain better accuracy if a player or one of his allies builds a radar targeting facility. 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 by either side. Yes, this means that you can't use radar to detect enemy units inside the area of effect of one of your jammers! 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.

In the late game, as more and more of the map gets covered by radar jammers, Dragon's Eyes become one of the most effective ways to keep track of your enemy's activities. They're virtually undectable once built and can't be fooled by radar jamming or stealth, though they still can't see cloaked units.

===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 [[#Bulldog|Bulldogs]] or [[#Goliath|Goliaths]], can drive over Dragon's Teeth, destroying them in the process.

Commanders and construction planes have a speed advantage in building these, as construction bots and vehicles do a small animation whenver they start or finish constructing something. This slows them down significantly on such cheap structures.

These can be used in lines to block an enemy advance. This is useful to prevent fast raiding units from simply rushing past your defences to attack key buildings in the back of your base. They can also be used in small lines or squares surrounding a defensive structure such as a [[#Sentinel/Gaat_Gun_Heavy_Laser_Tower|heavy laser tower]]. This can provide some protection from small units with direct fire weapons such as the [[#Flash/Instigator|Flash tank]].

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

One interesting use of Dragon's Teeth is terrain modification. DTs have a substantially higher "slope tolerance" (the maximum slope they can be built on) than most structures. They can be reclaimed to recover much of the metal that went into their construction. This makes them excellent for "clearing terrain" for building other structures. Just build a single DT or a small block of them, reclaim them, and build on the now-flattened land! This is great for putting up LLTs on hills, but can also be used to place Guardians/Punishers in unexpected locations. (Tip from Felix the Cat)

===Level 1 Defensive Structures===

====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 abbreviated as "LLT". They're good for covering mostly-blocked approaches to your base (like hills), as they can kill most light raiding forces.

A good way to defend against early to mid-game attacks is to build 3 LLTs in a loose cluster at the top of any hills or in choke points. Then build a couple of radar towers behind them to help spot enemies.

Throughout any game, even to the end, LLTs should be built in key areas of your base. They will come in handy in case an enemy slips through your outer perimeter.

====Beamer/Heavy Light Laser Turret (HLLT)====

Designed as a more permanent defensive structure for highly valuable inner-base areas as well as mid-game frontline duty. Beamers shoot a constant beam (get it? eh? eh?) which causes steady damage. This makes it ideal for dealing with attacks from both heavier units like Hammers/Thuds or much lighter units like Fleas, where it can instantly move on to the next target when the first one is destroyed, rather than waiting for a lengthy cool-down period. These also have a slightly longer range than vanilla LLTs.

The HLLT, on the other hand, is pretty much just a beefed up LLT. It has two turrets, allowing it to target two enemies simultaneously or concentrate on a single one. They have more than their fair share of hit points.

====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.

====Packo/SAM Anti-air Turret====

These are much more durable than standard missile towers and fire homing missiles quite rapidly. They are good at taking out large number of lighter planes quickly, making them a very effective fighter swarm counter. They will struggle to kill level 2 gunships and bombers unless used in large numbers, making flak cannons and level 2 missile towers a better choice against these units. The Packo can retract into a shielded underground state, largely protecting it from ground attack. The SAM just has more hitpoints.

====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.''

Besides Mercury/Screamer towers, these are the longest-range anti-air units you can build.

These buildings do extra damage against bombers.

====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 trajectory", which causes it to fire more damaging but highly inaccurate shells with a large area of effect in a high arc, or "Low trajectory", 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.

These do extra damage against amphibious units, and are therefore a good choice for defending a shoreline against a "fully submerged" opponent.

====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.

====Dargon's Claw/Dragon's Maw====

These are stealthy defensive structures (really stationary units) that can disguise themselves as Dragon's Teeth. When disguised, they can take significant amounts of damage, just like any "pop-up" weapon. If an enemy wanders into range, they'll reveal themselves and attack with a short-ranged lightning cannon (Arm) or flamethrower (Core). When destroyed, they leave behind ordinary Dragon's Teeth.

===Level 2 Defensive Structures===

====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 or nuclear weapons.

====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 totally under water, and so can only be targeted 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 must be constructed before launch) all the way across any map, each of which can destroy a substantial portion of an enemy base. Very few things (such as specialized structures that are in an armoured state by default) can survive a nuke blast, though the missiles can be easily intercepted by Protectors/Fortitudes.

====Juno====

The Juno is a much more limited ballistic 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 sheild that stops all manner of plasma weapons, gauss shells, and EMG fire, but it 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.

The sheild needs to be charged to stop shells, you can determine it's level of charge by how the sheild appears, a barely visible sheild has no or very low charge whereas a bright white sheild is fully charged. The sheild consumes energy to charge.

The sheild can hold it's onw for quite a while against VLRPCs, bur RFVLRPCS can bring them down near instantly.

====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. A cluster of these structures packed into a chokepoint or lined up in front of some Annihilators/Doomsday Machines can do quite a lot of damage. When not in use, they fold away into a concrete bunker, making them effectively immune to long-range artillery and even nuke strikes.

===Arm Level 2 Defensive Structures===

====Detonator====

The Detonator fires ballistic EMP missiles that paralyze units caught inside the blast. Their projectiles cannot be intercepted, making them very good at "preparing" enemy defensive structures or units for an attack. Like nukes and anti-nukes, the Detonator must build each shot before it can be used.

===Core Level 2 Defensive Structures===

====Inferno====

Wide-arc flamethrower. Good against swarms or for use in conjunction with several other Infernos against bigger units, or simply as one more extra support turret in a massively fortified front line.

====Catalyst====

A short-range tactical nuke launcher. The Catalyst's ballistic missile cannot be intercepted by anti-nukes but do significantly less damage than full-sized nukes. This makes them poor at destroying bases, but very good at softening up an enemy defensive line before an attack.

==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 KBots===

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====

Slightly 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 have a long range but 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 are shorter-ranged than Rocko/Storm rockets, but can 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 KBots===

====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 KBots===

The Core has no unique Level 1 KBots.

===Common Lvl 2 KBots===

====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-conceived 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 reanimated corpses of the enemy's attack force into your service to supplement 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 useful for getting past an enemy's defences.

===Arm Lvl 2 KBots===

====Fido====

A very average level 2 KBot. Weaker than a [[#Zeus|Zeus]] or [[#Maverick|Maverick]] but faster and cheaper. Versatile but not particularly good at any one thing. The Fido has two fire modes, which can be toggled by switching its "Active State" between "On" and "Off". The default uses a long-range, slow-firing direct-fire gauss cannon. It's fairly accurate but relatively low-damage. The "Ballistic Cannon" mode fires a less-accurate shell that travels in a higher, ballistic arc, allowing it to fire over other units, Dragon's Teeth, and hills.

====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. Average durability and speed for an L2 unit, but capable of doing impressive damage. It destroys L1 units and light defences with ease. The Maverick also auto-repairs in combat and has a longer visual range than most units, making one or two good "spotters" for a unit of other KBots.

====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, provided you have something to soak up enemy fire while the Sharpshooters do their work.

====Recluse====

A spider KBot that can climb up almost anything. Can cause nightmares for unprepared opponents 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.

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. Even on open ground, the paralyzer weapon makes it an excellent unit to mix in with an assault force, as a couple of shots can take an enemy unit out of the battle for a few seconds, and will probably focus all the enemy's fire on the Spider.

====Scarab====

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.

===Core Lvl 2 KBots===

====Pyro====

Core's level 2 [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/wiki/Swarming swarm]/assault unit unit. Halfway between a Zipper and a Zeus in toughness and speed. 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. Generally, you'll want to back these up with Cans.

====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. Longer weapon range and more power, as well as a much faster fire rate. 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. Good at countering light Level 3 KBots. Like the Can, it has a combat auto-repair.

====Morty====

A support KBot with a very big gun. Has a long range and fires fast, 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 torpedoes 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 or Raiders near the front lines to reinforce your assault force can be very effective!

====Dominator====

Another artillery support KBot, the Dominator fires vertically-launched rockets. These are only slightly longer-ranged 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, but it can cloak too. Combined with radar jamming, a Skuttle can blast an impressive hole in even the toughest defences.

====Leejen====

A light and fast but totally unarmed scout KBot. Cheap unit, good for scouting ahead of a force for things like stealth units, mines, and enemy defences. Has a very short-ranged radar for spotting cloaked units, etc.

===Common Lvl 3 KBots===

====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 Annihilators/Doomsday Machines, 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, or a few Sumos, though it can outrun the Sumos.

====Marauder====

A medium amphibious assault unit. Very fast moving on land, and can be 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 bypass enemy defences.

====Aegis====

A mobile EMP ballistic missile 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 KBots===

====Krogoth====

An [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/wiki/Uberweapon Uberweapon]. Costs absurd amounts of resources. Slightly more powerful and tougher than the Orcone, and features a shotgun-style blaster which is ideal for concentrated fire on a single heavy target or spread fire over a swarm of lesser units.

====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 vulnerable 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. Juggernauts have a lot of hit points, so they can also be used as a sort of "rolling front line". Should ideally have a group of support construction units for when its job is done and it's lost a lot of health.

====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. In groups of three or more, these can tear apart an enemy base in as little as 60 seconds. They should be guarded well by units such as Sumos, Cans, and Karganeths.

==Vehicles==

Vehicles use wheels or tracks to move. They're generaly fast, 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 Vehicles===

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 equivalent 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.

====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 equivalent 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 fair 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 (to their peril).

===Arm Lvl 1 Vehicles===

====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 Vehicles===

====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 Vehicles===

====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 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. They are slower than other forms of mobile artillery but tougher, making them good at assaulting enemy defensive structures.

====Triton/Croc====

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. The usual limitations of amphibious units apply.

====Bulldog/Reaper====

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

===Arm Lvl 2 Vehicles===

====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, especially once L3 units start rolling out. 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 and Zeus. These can be used to construct front-line reinforcements or even, with the help of jammers, construct an entire attack force for use against an unwary opponent.

===Core Lvl 2 Vehicles===

====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. While expensive, a force of goliaths can do very impressive damage and can be very difficult to stop, especially since it auto-repairs even during combat. 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.

====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. Its shots have a fairly large scatter, making them great at wiping out clustered defences or resource buildings.

====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.

==Aircraft==

Aircraft are airborne combat units. They're fast, can cross any terrain, but can take very little damage. Most aircraft are specialized, and designed for a specific task. Against units not built specifically to counter them, aircraft are very effective. Against anti-air units, they are at a significant disadvantage. Generally air units are not a base busting assault weapon, but anyone who assumes that they are useless will play at a significant disadvantage. Aircraft can be put to several uses, even in the late game:

Scouting: You've built a [[#Big Bertha/Intimidator|VLRPC]] (or ten). The sounds of each successive shell exploding in your enemy's base is slowly ratcheting up the pressure. But how do you know whether the pride of your army is destroying important enemy buildings, or killing peewees and solar collectors? Build some airplanes and have a look. You can then aim your Big Bertha at a worthy target. If your enemies build LRPCs, but only one player builds planes, guess who will find and destroy the opposing LRPCs first?

A few light aircraft can also be a great investment ahead of a ground attack. You can spot holes in the defence to aim for or unexpected resistance to retreat from before taking losses. They can provide line of sight for long range artillery to start pounding opposing defences. And what is that blob of units coming towards you on the radar? A plane can tell you if its 20 peewees or 20 goliaths. Any empty space on the map? Send a plane to scout at random intervals; you might find and prevent an opponent preparing a nasty surprise under cover of a radar jammer.

In general terms, scout aircraft are invaluable, as they're a very reliable mechanism for gathering precise information about the battlefield, even through heavy radar jamming and enemy fire.

Overwhelming: Focus efforts on building a large devestating force of bombers or gunships. With enough effort or against an unsuspecting victim, you may create a large enough air attack to devestate a base with insufficient anti-air defence. If your opponent ''does'' build enough anti-air defences, the setback to your economy from this effort will be serious.

Defence: An often overlooked aspect of aircraft is their use for base defence. They have the advantage of being able to intercept an attack from any direction quickly. If the attack force does not include a significant anti air componenent, your planes can attack while taking very little damage in return. [[#Hawk/Vamp|Hawks/Vamps]] are particularly good at this, and while they're unlikely to do fatal damage to ground units, they're excellent at intercepting and destroying enemy airstrikes. Level 2 bombers and gunships can provide a more adiquate dfence against ground assaults. A few Arm Stilletos, for instance, can provide an effective defence against nearly any attack.

Strategic strikes: Sometimes your opponent has a key building you badly want to destroy. It might be a [[#Retaliator/Silencer|nuclear silo]], [[#Protector/Fortitude|nuclear defence]], or a [[#Vulcan/Buzzsaw|rapid fire LRPC]]. Perhaps a [[#Moho Geothermal Powerplant|moho geothermal]], or [[#Advanced Fusion Reactor|advanced fusion]] that could take half the base with it if you can kill it. Or a [[#Commander|Commander]]. A determined bombing assault can often do the trick. Air has an unequaled ability to rapidly move and concentrate force to attack a key location. Just make sure the target is worth the effort, as in most games the planes that will get destroyed by anti-air in such a strike will represent a significant investment of resources. You'll need to use ground forces to capitalize on the strike.

All aircraft have a limited-range sonar, allowing them to see submerged units immediately under them. Aircraft generally cost larger amounts of energy, and lower amounts of metal when compared with other units. This can energy stall an unprepared player who tries to build an air force too early in the game. Aircraft also take a long time to build. Building an Air Factory as your first factory is a high-risk move guaranteed to slow down economic expansion drastrically.

===Common Lvl 1 Aircraft===

====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. Carries flares to reduce the effectiveness of guided AA weapons. They're best used as scouts, to spot targets for long-range artillery or attack forces. As they're cheap, fast, airborne, carry radar, and have a good sight range, Peepers and Finks are among the best scouts in the game. It's almost always worth building an L1 Aircraft Plant even if you only use it for building these.

====Freedom Fighter/Avenger====

A basic fighter aircraft. Fast and maneuverable, but can't take much damage. Carries a homing missile that can attack ground or air targets. Although they're not specifically designed for it, a group of 20-30 of these can be quickly and cheaply built in the late game to harass enemy units to great effect. Great against level 1 aircraft, and useful against level 2 aircraft and ground units if built in a large enough swarm. They are also extremely effective against gunships of all kinds.

An effective tactic can be to slowly assemble a group of these and then use them to raid your enemy's resources; from then on, he'll be forced to build extensive anti-air even if you don't plan on ever using air again. If your enemy is spending half his resources to defend against an attack that's not coming....

====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, but if you can find an opening in the enemy's anti-aircraft defences, a quick raid with air transports could exploit it very effectively. Even against moderate AA, a swarm of Atlases (20-ish) will often be able to drop off at least a few units behind enemy lines before they die.

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 Aircraft===

====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 damage, 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 vulnerable to flak.

As with all gunships, banshees take slightly (~20%) reduced damage from missiles compared to other types of aircraft.

===Core Lvl 1 Aircraft===

====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 paralysing serious threats. It can hover, allowing it to attack slow-moving or stationary ground units very effectively but making it vulnerable to flak.

Many Core players have gone on the record to say that the only reason they like Core so much is the Bladewing. With its ability to temporarily remove any one unit from a fight, you can effectively take the wind out of your enemy's sails if that one unit is, for instance, a Bantha.

Be aware that superweapons and Commanders are nigh-invulnerable to paralyzer weapons. Concentrated fire may temporarily stun them, but they'll be back in action practically the instant you stop firing.

===Common Lvl 2 Aircraft===

====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. Before the enemy has significant flak defences, Brawlers and Rapiers are viable for assaults. After that point, they're best used to raid areas of the enemy base lacking flak for whatever reason, or harass assault forces that have insufficient AA cover. These are also fairly supicable to fighters, especialy when traveling to or from a target.

====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, regardless of what it is. 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.

As advanced missile towers and flak get built, the ability of Phoenixes and Hurricanes to hit targets anywhere in a base diminishes. They remain useful for striking targets near the edge, and can be good for softening up a defence line or breaking a hole in it before an attack, but typically need to withdraw (or will be destroyed) after one or two passes.

Because of their bomb scattering attribute, a group of even 5+ Phoenix or Hurricanes can be used to quickly massacre even a moderately fast-moving attack group if it isn't protected by a strong anti-air presence.

====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, gunships, and level 1 fighters. Not so good offensively, though, as they suck at attacking ground targets. They're good at intercepting enemy airstrikes and providing AA defence for the skies over your base or contested territory.

====Eagle/Vulture====

A more sophisticated recon plane. Has a longer radar range and carries a real sonar. Information about your enemy's activities is vital for both attack and defence, and the Eagle/Vulture can tell you a lot. Since they're more expensive than the Peeper/Fink, they're less expendable, making them less useful for quick scouting once AA is deployed. Carry flares to improve their survivability against guided missiles.

===Arm Lvl 2 Aircraft===

====Blade====

A gunship with even more armor and an even bigger weapon. They're tough and reasonably fast, making them good support for your assault forces once the enemy deploys flak cannons and Mercuries/Screamers. Hawks/Vamps and Freedom Fighters/Avengers still work well against them.

Because of a Blade's heavy armor, they take only 50% damage from flak guns, in addition to the standard 20% damage reduction for missile attacks on gunships. In short, they're Arm's ultimate high-flying badasses.

====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 Hawks/Vamps and Freedom Fighters/Avengers, 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, or greater amounts of smaller units. Unlike level 1 transports these can be used in an assault role providiing enemy AA isnt incredibly strong. The ability to drop several units into an enemy base is not to be underestimated.

====Stilleto====

A stealthy bomber whose weapon paralyzes targets caught in the blast. Good for softening up a defence line or assault force. These units are highly resiliant against anti-aircraft fire, with a relativley high amount of hitpoints, radar invisibility, and flares to deflect missiles. On the offensive it can be used to disable enemy AA or ground turrets, allowing you to move in a more damaging force. On defence it can disable large amounts of small units, or even the large mechs which have no defence against such aircraft.

===Core Lvl 2 Aircraft===

====Seahook====

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

====Krow====

Flying instagib. With its three heavy, rapid-firing lasers, it will kill anything that isn't a group of 5+ flak guns or a fighter swarm.

==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 Ships and Subs===

====Skeeter/Searcher====

The naval equivalent 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. They are also useful as anti-air for early attacks, before you can get/need the standard AA ships ([[#Archer/Shredder|Archer/Shredder]]).

====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 Ships and Subs===

====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 much more accurate heavy laser. These ships can dominate enemy fleets but are expensive and very weak against submarines and aircraft. 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 sea-borne 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.

==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 Hovercraft===

====Mausser/Navarone====

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

====Swatter/Slinger====

An anti-air 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. Neither can stand up to proper tanks or ships, but they're very good for quick attacks over small bodies of water.

====Wombat/Nixer====

A hovercraft with a vertically-launched artillery rocket. Very similar to the Merl/Diplomat, but with a shorter range, faster fire rate, and lower 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.) These effectively form the tier 3 of aircraft. While the ranks of seaplanes do not include units like Krows or Krogoths, they are far more cost effective, more powerful, generally nimbler, faster, and so on. Seaplane factories can only be built on the water by Advanced Construction Submarines and Aircraft

===Common Lvl 1 Seaplanes===

====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. Carries flares to help protect it against guided missiles.

====Tornado/Voodoo====

Basic fighter seaplane. Similar to the Hawk/Vamp, but not stealthy and with a less powerful air-to-air missile. Although they will generally lose to a Hawk/Vamp in a head-to-head fight, they are far less expensive and faster to build.

====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. About the same general power level as a Brawler/Rapier, but slightly more cost-effective, quick, and nimble. 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/Maelstrom====

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

2006-07-11T17:30:06Z

Egarwaen: /* Freedom Fighter/Avenger */ Tweaked, clarified, and condensed.

This is the Practical AA Guide. It has information such as ways to best use units, and things to avoid. To answer more technical questions, such as exactly how much damage per second a weapon is capable of, or precise build costs of a particular unit, you may want to visit the [http://ta-aa.sourceforge.net/modweb Technical AA Guide].

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 in the first few minutes of the game, and destroys any reclaimable wreckage. His laser should be more than enough against small groups of raiders. Whatever you do, '''do not''' D-Gun your own structures or units unless it's that or lose the game.

The Commander has a small but constant auto-repair, which makes him better able to handle fire from raiders and sporadic artillery hits.

==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 Resource Structures===

====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 Collector====

More expensive than a [[#Wind Generator|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 Metal Maker consumes 100e and produces 1m. When building metal makers, always use the [[Metal Maker AI]].

There are also floating versions of this structure, these ae somhat more efficient, consuming 90e and producing 1m.

====Advanced Solar Collector====

The Advanced Solar Generator produces about four times as much energy (75 per tick) as a regular [[#Solar Collector|Solar Collector]], but costs correspondingly more metal and significantly more energy. Their advantage over regular Solar Collectors is that they have a smaller footprint (4x4 instead of 5x5). They cannot close into a more armored form, but they do have more health.

====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.

Geothermal powerplants, much like the level 2 Moho Geothermal Powerplants, have a nasty explosion. Be careful what you build around them since they will be a prime target of opportunity.

Absolute Annihilation gives Arm increased output from geothermal powerplants.

====Energy/Metal Storage====

As the name indicates, these structures provide you with additional energy and metal storage. Since all resource structures in AA come with some 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 usually be using up your metal as fast as you can without stalling. ''However'' if you're reclaiming a lot of things, especially any [[#Commander|Commander]] wreckage laying about, you'll need these in order to make sure you receive all your metal.

===Arm Level 1 Resource Structures===

====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 necessary. Watch out for this when killing them if the enemy has some units nearby, as paralyzed units are easy prey.

===Core Level 1 Resource Structures===

====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 Resource Structures===

====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. Unlike Moho Mines in [[XTA]], they only cost 25 energy to operate. 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.

Absolute Annihilation gives Core slightly better energy output on their fusion plants.

====Moho Metal Maker====

A bigger, better metal maker. Takes much more energy to operate, but produces much more metal, and does so more efficently. 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, wich is the most efficent energy to metal convertor of all.

====Metal Generator====

A structure that provides a steady input of 1m at no cost other than initial construction. 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.

Absolute Annihilation gives Arm a hefty boost to their output from Moho Geothermal Powerplants.

====Advanced Fusion Reactor====

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

Absolute Annihilation gives Core a hefty boost to their Advanced Fusion Reactor's energy output. However, this is somewhat offset by the greater cost a Core player must pay if he or she wants to cloak their reactor.

===Arm Level 2 Resource Structures===

====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 Resource Structures===

====Moho 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. Behemoths have the longest range of any structure except for LRPC/RFLRPCs.

==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. Units firing on radar dots can gain better accuracy if a player or one of his allies builds a radar targeting facility. 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 by either side. Yes, this means that you can't use radar to detect enemy units inside the area of effect of one of your jammers! 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.

In the late game, as more and more of the map gets covered by radar jammers, Dragon's Eyes become one of the most effective ways to keep track of your enemy's activities. They're virtually undectable once built and can't be fooled by radar jamming or stealth, though they still can't see cloaked units.

===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 [[#Bulldog|Bulldogs]] or [[#Goliath|Goliaths]], can drive over Dragon's Teeth, destroying them in the process.

Commanders and construction planes have a speed advantage in building these, as construction bots and vehicles do a small animation whenver they start or finish constructing something. This slows them down significantly on such cheap structures.

These can be used in lines to block an enemy advance. This is useful to prevent fast raiding units from simply rushing past your defences to attack key buildings in the back of your base. They can also be used in small lines or squares surrounding a defensive structure such as a [[#Sentinel/Gaat_Gun_Heavy_Laser_Tower|heavy laser tower]]. This can provide some protection from small units with direct fire weapons such as the [[#Flash/Instigator|Flash tank]].

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

One interesting use of Dragon's Teeth is terrain modification. DTs have a substantially higher "slope tolerance" (the maximum slope they can be built on) than most structures. They can be reclaimed to recover much of the metal that went into their construction. This makes them excellent for "clearing terrain" for building other structures. Just build a single DT or a small block of them, reclaim them, and build on the now-flattened land! This is great for putting up LLTs on hills, but can also be used to place Guardians/Punishers in unexpected locations. (Tip from Felix the Cat)

===Level 1 Defensive Structures===

====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 abbreviated as "LLT". They're good for covering mostly-blocked approaches to your base (like hills), as they can kill most light raiding forces.

A good way to defend against early to mid-game attacks is to build 3 LLTs in a loose cluster at the top of any hills or in choke points. Then build a couple of radar towers behind them to help spot enemies.

Throughout any game, even to the end, LLTs should be built in key areas of your base. They will come in handy in case an enemy slips through your outer perimeter.

====Beamer/Heavy Light Laser Turret (HLLT)====

Designed as a more permanent defensive structure for highly valuable inner-base areas as well as mid-game frontline duty. Beamers shoot a constant beam (get it? eh? eh?) which causes steady damage. This makes it ideal for dealing with attacks from both heavier units like Hammers/Thuds or much lighter units like Fleas, where it can instantly move on to the next target when the first one is destroyed, rather than waiting for a lengthy cool-down period. These also have a slightly longer range than vanilla LLTs.

The HLLT, on the other hand, is pretty much just a beefed up LLT. It has two turrets, allowing it to target two enemies simultaneously or concentrate on a single one. They have more than their fair share of hit points.

====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.

====Packo/SAM Anti-air Turret====

These are much more durable than standard missile towers and fire homing missiles quite rapidly. They are good at taking out large number of lighter planes quickly, making them a very effective fighter swarm counter. They will struggle to kill level 2 gunships and bombers unless used in large numbers, making flak cannons and level 2 missile towers a better choice against these units. The Packo can retract into a shielded underground state, largely protecting it from ground attack. The SAM just has more hitpoints.

====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.''

Besides Mercury/Screamer towers, these are the longest-range anti-air units you can build.

These buildings do extra damage against bombers.

====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 trajectory", which causes it to fire more damaging but highly inaccurate shells with a large area of effect in a high arc, or "Low trajectory", 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.

These do extra damage against amphibious units, and are therefore a good choice for defending a shoreline against a "fully submerged" opponent.

====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.

====Dargon's Claw/Dragon's Maw====

These are stealthy defensive structures (really stationary units) that can disguise themselves as Dragon's Teeth. When disguised, they can take significant amounts of damage, just like any "pop-up" weapon. If an enemy wanders into range, they'll reveal themselves and attack with a short-ranged lightning cannon (Arm) or flamethrower (Core). When destroyed, they leave behind ordinary Dragon's Teeth.

===Level 2 Defensive Structures===

====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 or nuclear weapons.

====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 totally under water, and so can only be targeted 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 must be constructed before launch) all the way across any map, each of which can destroy a substantial portion of an enemy base. Very few things (such as specialized structures that are in an armoured state by default) can survive a nuke blast, though the missiles can be easily intercepted by Protectors/Fortitudes.

====Juno====

The Juno is a much more limited ballistic 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 sheild that stops all manner of plasma weapons, gauss shells, and EMG fire, but it 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.

The sheild needs to be charged to stop shells, you can determine it's level of charge by how the sheild appears, a barely visible sheild has no or very low charge whereas a bright white sheild is fully charged. The sheild consumes energy to charge.

The sheild can hold it's onw for quite a while against VLRPCs, bur RFVLRPCS can bring them down near instantly.

====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. A cluster of these structures packed into a chokepoint or lined up in front of some Annihilators/Doomsday Machines can do quite a lot of damage. When not in use, they fold away into a concrete bunker, making them effectively immune to long-range artillery and even nuke strikes.

===Arm Level 2 Defensive Structures===

====Detonator====

The Detonator fires ballistic EMP missiles that paralyze units caught inside the blast. Their projectiles cannot be intercepted, making them very good at "preparing" enemy defensive structures or units for an attack. Like nukes and anti-nukes, the Detonator must build each shot before it can be used.

===Core Level 2 Defensive Structures===

====Inferno====

Wide-arc flamethrower. Good against swarms or for use in conjunction with several other Infernos against bigger units, or simply as one more extra support turret in a massively fortified front line.

====Catalyst====

A short-range tactical nuke launcher. The Catalyst's ballistic missile cannot be intercepted by anti-nukes but do significantly less damage than full-sized nukes. This makes them poor at destroying bases, but very good at softening up an enemy defensive line before an attack.

==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 KBots===

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====

Slightly 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 have a long range but 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 are shorter-ranged than Rocko/Storm rockets, but can 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 KBots===

====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 KBots===

The Core has no unique Level 1 KBots.

===Common Lvl 2 KBots===

====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-conceived 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 reanimated corpses of the enemy's attack force into your service to supplement 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 useful for getting past an enemy's defences.

===Arm Lvl 2 KBots===

====Fido====

A very average level 2 KBot. Weaker than a [[#Zeus|Zeus]] or [[#Maverick|Maverick]] but faster and cheaper. Versatile but not particularly good at any one thing. The Fido has two fire modes, which can be toggled by switching its "Active State" between "On" and "Off". The default uses a long-range, slow-firing direct-fire gauss cannon. It's fairly accurate but relatively low-damage. The "Ballistic Cannon" mode fires a less-accurate shell that travels in a higher, ballistic arc, allowing it to fire over other units, Dragon's Teeth, and hills.

====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. Average durability and speed for an L2 unit, but capable of doing impressive damage. It destroys L1 units and light defences with ease. The Maverick also auto-repairs in combat and has a longer visual range than most units, making one or two good "spotters" for a unit of other KBots.

====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, provided you have something to soak up enemy fire while the Sharpshooters do their work.

====Recluse====

A spider KBot that can climb up almost anything. Can cause nightmares for unprepared opponents 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.

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. Even on open ground, the paralyzer weapon makes it an excellent unit to mix in with an assault force, as a couple of shots can take an enemy unit out of the battle for a few seconds, and will probably focus all the enemy's fire on the Spider.

====Scarab====

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.

===Core Lvl 2 KBots===

====Pyro====

Core's level 2 [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/wiki/Swarming swarm]/assault unit unit. Halfway between a Zipper and a Zeus in toughness and speed. 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. Generally, you'll want to back these up with Cans.

====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. Longer weapon range and more power, as well as a much faster fire rate. 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. Good at countering light Level 3 KBots. Like the Can, it has a combat auto-repair.

====Morty====

A support KBot with a very big gun. Has a long range and fires fast, 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 torpedoes 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 or Raiders near the front lines to reinforce your assault force can be very effective!

====Dominator====

Another artillery support KBot, the Dominator fires vertically-launched rockets. These are only slightly longer-ranged 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, but it can cloak too. Combined with radar jamming, a Skuttle can blast an impressive hole in even the toughest defences.

====Leejen====

A light and fast but totally unarmed scout KBot. Cheap unit, good for scouting ahead of a force for things like stealth units, mines, and enemy defences. Has a very short-ranged radar for spotting cloaked units, etc.

===Common Lvl 3 KBots===

====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 Annihilators/Doomsday Machines, 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, or a few Sumos, though it can outrun the Sumos.

====Marauder====

A medium amphibious assault unit. Very fast moving on land, and can be 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 bypass enemy defences.

====Aegis====

A mobile EMP ballistic missile 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 KBots===

====Krogoth====

An [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/wiki/Uberweapon Uberweapon]. Costs absurd amounts of resources. Slightly more powerful and tougher than the Orcone, and features a shotgun-style blaster which is ideal for concentrated fire on a single heavy target or spread fire over a swarm of lesser units.

====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 vulnerable 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. Juggernauts have a lot of hit points, so they can also be used as a sort of "rolling front line". Should ideally have a group of support construction units for when its job is done and it's lost a lot of health.

====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. In groups of three or more, these can tear apart an enemy base in as little as 60 seconds. They should be guarded well by units such as Sumos, Cans, and Karganeths.

==Vehicles==

Vehicles use wheels or tracks to move. They're generaly fast, 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 Vehicles===

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 equivalent 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.

====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 equivalent 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 fair 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 (to their peril).

===Arm Lvl 1 Vehicles===

====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 Vehicles===

====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 Vehicles===

====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 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. They are slower than other forms of mobile artillery but tougher, making them good at assaulting enemy defensive structures.

====Triton/Croc====

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. The usual limitations of amphibious units apply.

====Bulldog/Reaper====

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

===Arm Lvl 2 Vehicles===

====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, especially once L3 units start rolling out. 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 and Zeus. These can be used to construct front-line reinforcements or even, with the help of jammers, construct an entire attack force for use against an unwary opponent.

===Core Lvl 2 Vehicles===

====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. While expensive, a force of goliaths can do very impressive damage and can be very difficult to stop, especially since it auto-repairs even during combat. 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.

====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. Its shots have a fairly large scatter, making them great at wiping out clustered defences or resource buildings.

====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.

==Aircraft==

Aircraft are airborne combat units. They're fast, can cross any terrain, but can take very little damage. Most aircraft are specialized, and designed for a specific task. Against units not built specifically to counter them, aircraft are very effective. Against anti-air units, they are at a significant disadvantage. Generally air units are not a base busting assault weapon, but anyone who assumes that they are useless will play at a significant disadvantage. Aircraft can be put to several uses, even in the late game:

Scouting: You've built a [[#Big Bertha/Intimidator|VLRPC]] (or ten). The sounds of each successive shell exploding in your enemy's base is slowly ratcheting up the pressure. But how do you know whether the pride of your army is destroying important enemy buildings, or killing peewees and solar collectors? Build some airplanes and have a look. You can then aim your Big Bertha at a worthy target. If your enemies build LRPCs, but only one player builds planes, guess who will find and destroy the opposing LRPCs first?

A few light aircraft can also be a great investment ahead of a ground attack. You can spot holes in the defence to aim for or unexpected resistance to retreat from before taking losses. They can provide line of sight for long range artillery to start pounding opposing defences. And what is that blob of units coming towards you on the radar? A plane can tell you if its 20 peewees or 20 goliaths. Any empty space on the map? Send a plane to scout at random intervals; you might find and prevent an opponent preparing a nasty surprise under cover of a radar jammer.

In general terms, scout aircraft are invaluable, as they're a very reliable mechanism for gathering precise information about the battlefield, even through heavy radar jamming and enemy fire.

Overwhelming: Focus efforts on building a large devestating force of bombers or gunships. With enough effort or against an unsuspecting victim, you may create a large enough air attack to devestate a base with insufficient anti-air defence. If your opponent ''does'' build enough anti-air defences, the setback to your economy from this effort will be serious.

Defence: An often overlooked aspect of aircraft is their use for base defence. They have the advantage of being able to intercept an attack from any direction quickly. If the attack force does not include a significant anti air componenent, your planes can attack while taking very little damage in return. [[#Hawk/Vamp|Hawks/Vamps]] are particularly good at this, and while they're unlikely to do fatal damage to ground units, they're excellent at intercepting and destroying enemy airstrikes. Level 2 bombers and gunships can provide a more adiquate dfence against ground assaults. A few Arm Stilletos, for instance, can provide an effective defence against nearly any attack.

Strategic strikes: Sometimes your opponent has a key building you badly want to destroy. It might be a [[#Retaliator/Silencer|nuclear silo]], [[#Protector/Fortitude|nuclear defence]], or a [[#Vulcan/Buzzsaw|rapid fire LRPC]]. Perhaps a [[#Moho Geothermal Powerplant|moho geothermal]], or [[#Advanced Fusion Reactor|advanced fusion]] that could take half the base with it if you can kill it. Or a [[#Commander|Commander]]. A determined bombing assault can often do the trick. Air has an unequaled ability to rapidly move and concentrate force to attack a key location. Just make sure the target is worth the effort, as in most games the planes that will get destroyed by anti-air in such a strike will represent a significant investment of resources. You'll need to use ground forces to capitalize on the strike.

All aircraft have a limited-range sonar, allowing them to see submerged units immediately under them. Aircraft generally cost larger amounts of energy, and lower amounts of metal when compared with other units. This can energy stall an unprepared player who tries to build an air force too early in the game. Aircraft also take a long time to build. Building an Air Factory as your first factory is a high-risk move guaranteed to slow down economic expansion drastrically.

===Common Lvl 1 Aircraft===

====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. Carries flares to reduce the effectiveness of guided AA weapons. They're best used as scouts, to spot targets for long-range artillery or attack forces. As they're cheap, fast, airborne, carry radar, and have a good sight range, Peepers and Finks are among the best scouts in the game. It's almost always worth building an L1 Aircraft Plant even if you only use it for building these.

====Freedom Fighter/Avenger====

A basic fighter aircraft. Fast and maneuverable, but can't take much damage. Carries a homing missile that can attack ground or air targets. Although they're not specifically designed for it, a group of 20-30 of these can be quickly and cheaply built in the late game to harass enemy units to great effect. Great against level 1 aircraft, and useful against level 2 aircraft and ground units if built in a large enough swarm. They are also extremely effective against gunships of all kinds.

An effective tactic can be to slowly assemble a group of these and then use them to raid your enemy's resources; from then on, he'll be forced to build extensive anti-air even if you don't plan on ever using air again. If your enemy is spending half his resources to defend against an attack that's not coming....

====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, but if you can find an opening in the enemies anti aircraft defences these could drop in a few units that would spell certian defeat.

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 Aircraft===

====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 damage, 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 vulnerable to flak.

As with all gunships, banshees take slightly (~20%) reduced damage from missiles compared to other types of aircraft.

===Core Lvl 1 Aircraft===

====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 paralysing serious threats. It can hover, allowing it to attack slow-moving or stationary ground units very effectively but making it vulnerable to flak.

Many Core players have gone on the record to say that the only reason they like Core so much is the Bladewing. With its ability to temporarily remove any one unit from a fight, you can effectively take the wind out of your enemy's sails if that one unit is, for instance, a Bantha.

Be aware that superweapons and Commanders are nigh-invulnerable to paralyzer weapons. Concentrated fire may temporarily stun them, but they'll be back in action practically the instant you stop firing.

===Common Lvl 2 Aircraft===

====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. Before the enemy has significant flak defences, Brawlers and Rapiers are viable for assaults. After that point, they're best used to raid areas of the enemy base lacking flak for whatever reason, or harass assault forces that have insufficient AA cover. These are also fairly supicable to fighters, especialy when traveling to or from a target.

====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, regardless of what it is. 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.

As advanced missile towers and flak get built, the ability of Phoenixes and Hurricanes to hit targets anywhere in a base diminishes. They remain useful for striking targets near the edge, and can be good for softening up a defence line or breaking a hole in it before an attack, but typically need to withdraw (or will be destroyed) after one or two passes.

Because of their bomb scattering attribute, a group of even 5+ Phoenix or Hurricanes can be used to quickly massacre even a moderately fast-moving attack group if it isn't protected by a strong anti-air presence.

====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, gunships, and level 1 fighters. Not so good offensively, though, as they suck at attacking ground targets. They're good at intercepting enemy airstrikes and providing AA defence for the skies over your base or contested territory.

====Eagle/Vulture====

A more sophisticated recon plane. Has a longer radar range and carries a real sonar. Information about your enemy's activities is vital for both attack and defence, and the Eagle/Vulture can tell you a lot. Since they're more expensive than the Peeper/Fink, they're less expendable, making them less useful for quick scouting once AA is deployed. Carry flares to improve their survivability against guided missiles.

===Arm Lvl 2 Aircraft===

====Blade====

A gunship with even more armor and an even bigger weapon. They're tough and reasonably fast, making them good support for your assault forces once the enemy deploys flak cannons and Mercuries/Screamers. Hawks/Vamps and Freedom Fighters/Avengers still work well against them.

Because of a Blade's heavy armor, they take only 50% damage from flak guns, in addition to the standard 20% damage reduction for missile attacks on gunships. In short, they're Arm's ultimate high-flying badasses.

====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 Hawks/Vamps and Freedom Fighters/Avengers, 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, or greater amounts of smaller units. Unlike level 1 transports these can be used in an assault role providiing enemy AA isnt incredibly strong. The ability to drop several units into an enemy base is not to be underestimated.

====Stilleto====

A stealthy bomber whose weapon paralyzes targets caught in the blast. Good for softening up a defence line or assault force. These units are highly resiliant against anti-aircraft fire, with a relativley high amount of hitpoints, radar invisibility, and flares to deflect missiles. On the offensive it can be used to disable enemy AA or ground turrets, allowing you to move in a more damaging force. On defence it can disable large amounts of small units, or even the large mechs which have no defence against such aircraft.

===Core Lvl 2 Aircraft===

====Seahook====

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

====Krow====

Flying instagib. With its three heavy, rapid-firing lasers, it will kill anything that isn't a group of 5+ flak guns or a fighter swarm.

==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 Ships and Subs===

====Skeeter/Searcher====

The naval equivalent 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. They are also useful as anti-air for early attacks, before you can get/need the standard AA ships ([[#Archer/Shredder|Archer/Shredder]]).

====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 Ships and Subs===

====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 much more accurate heavy laser. These ships can dominate enemy fleets but are expensive and very weak against submarines and aircraft. 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 sea-borne 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.

==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 Hovercraft===

====Mausser/Navarone====

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

====Swatter/Slinger====

An anti-air 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. Neither can stand up to proper tanks or ships, but they're very good for quick attacks over small bodies of water.

====Wombat/Nixer====

A hovercraft with a vertically-launched artillery rocket. Very similar to the Merl/Diplomat, but with a shorter range, faster fire rate, and lower 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.) These effectively form the tier 3 of aircraft. While the ranks of seaplanes do not include units like Krows or Krogoths, they are far more cost effective, more powerful, generally nimbler, faster, and so on. Seaplane factories can only be built on the water by Advanced Construction Submarines and Aircraft

===Common Lvl 1 Seaplanes===

====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. Carries flares to help protect it against guided missiles.

====Tornado/Voodoo====

Basic fighter seaplane. Similar to the Hawk/Vamp, but not stealthy and with a less powerful air-to-air missile. Although they will generally lose to a Hawk/Vamp in a head-to-head fight, they are far less expensive and faster to build.

====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. About the same general power level as a Brawler/Rapier, but slightly more cost-effective, quick, and nimble. 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/Maelstrom====

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

2006-07-11T17:27:43Z

Egarwaen: /* Pyro */ Adjusted to fit role better.

This is the Practical AA Guide. It has information such as ways to best use units, and things to avoid. To answer more technical questions, such as exactly how much damage per second a weapon is capable of, or precise build costs of a particular unit, you may want to visit the [http://ta-aa.sourceforge.net/modweb Technical AA Guide].

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 in the first few minutes of the game, and destroys any reclaimable wreckage. His laser should be more than enough against small groups of raiders. Whatever you do, '''do not''' D-Gun your own structures or units unless it's that or lose the game.

The Commander has a small but constant auto-repair, which makes him better able to handle fire from raiders and sporadic artillery hits.

==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 Resource Structures===

====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 Collector====

More expensive than a [[#Wind Generator|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 Metal Maker consumes 100e and produces 1m. When building metal makers, always use the [[Metal Maker AI]].

There are also floating versions of this structure, these ae somhat more efficient, consuming 90e and producing 1m.

====Advanced Solar Collector====

The Advanced Solar Generator produces about four times as much energy (75 per tick) as a regular [[#Solar Collector|Solar Collector]], but costs correspondingly more metal and significantly more energy. Their advantage over regular Solar Collectors is that they have a smaller footprint (4x4 instead of 5x5). They cannot close into a more armored form, but they do have more health.

====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.

Geothermal powerplants, much like the level 2 Moho Geothermal Powerplants, have a nasty explosion. Be careful what you build around them since they will be a prime target of opportunity.

Absolute Annihilation gives Arm increased output from geothermal powerplants.

====Energy/Metal Storage====

As the name indicates, these structures provide you with additional energy and metal storage. Since all resource structures in AA come with some 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 usually be using up your metal as fast as you can without stalling. ''However'' if you're reclaiming a lot of things, especially any [[#Commander|Commander]] wreckage laying about, you'll need these in order to make sure you receive all your metal.

===Arm Level 1 Resource Structures===

====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 necessary. Watch out for this when killing them if the enemy has some units nearby, as paralyzed units are easy prey.

===Core Level 1 Resource Structures===

====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 Resource Structures===

====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. Unlike Moho Mines in [[XTA]], they only cost 25 energy to operate. 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.

Absolute Annihilation gives Core slightly better energy output on their fusion plants.

====Moho Metal Maker====

A bigger, better metal maker. Takes much more energy to operate, but produces much more metal, and does so more efficently. 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, wich is the most efficent energy to metal convertor of all.

====Metal Generator====

A structure that provides a steady input of 1m at no cost other than initial construction. 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.

Absolute Annihilation gives Arm a hefty boost to their output from Moho Geothermal Powerplants.

====Advanced Fusion Reactor====

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

Absolute Annihilation gives Core a hefty boost to their Advanced Fusion Reactor's energy output. However, this is somewhat offset by the greater cost a Core player must pay if he or she wants to cloak their reactor.

===Arm Level 2 Resource Structures===

====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 Resource Structures===

====Moho 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. Behemoths have the longest range of any structure except for LRPC/RFLRPCs.

==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. Units firing on radar dots can gain better accuracy if a player or one of his allies builds a radar targeting facility. 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 by either side. Yes, this means that you can't use radar to detect enemy units inside the area of effect of one of your jammers! 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.

In the late game, as more and more of the map gets covered by radar jammers, Dragon's Eyes become one of the most effective ways to keep track of your enemy's activities. They're virtually undectable once built and can't be fooled by radar jamming or stealth, though they still can't see cloaked units.

===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 [[#Bulldog|Bulldogs]] or [[#Goliath|Goliaths]], can drive over Dragon's Teeth, destroying them in the process.

Commanders and construction planes have a speed advantage in building these, as construction bots and vehicles do a small animation whenver they start or finish constructing something. This slows them down significantly on such cheap structures.

These can be used in lines to block an enemy advance. This is useful to prevent fast raiding units from simply rushing past your defences to attack key buildings in the back of your base. They can also be used in small lines or squares surrounding a defensive structure such as a [[#Sentinel/Gaat_Gun_Heavy_Laser_Tower|heavy laser tower]]. This can provide some protection from small units with direct fire weapons such as the [[#Flash/Instigator|Flash tank]].

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

One interesting use of Dragon's Teeth is terrain modification. DTs have a substantially higher "slope tolerance" (the maximum slope they can be built on) than most structures. They can be reclaimed to recover much of the metal that went into their construction. This makes them excellent for "clearing terrain" for building other structures. Just build a single DT or a small block of them, reclaim them, and build on the now-flattened land! This is great for putting up LLTs on hills, but can also be used to place Guardians/Punishers in unexpected locations. (Tip from Felix the Cat)

===Level 1 Defensive Structures===

====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 abbreviated as "LLT". They're good for covering mostly-blocked approaches to your base (like hills), as they can kill most light raiding forces.

A good way to defend against early to mid-game attacks is to build 3 LLTs in a loose cluster at the top of any hills or in choke points. Then build a couple of radar towers behind them to help spot enemies.

Throughout any game, even to the end, LLTs should be built in key areas of your base. They will come in handy in case an enemy slips through your outer perimeter.

====Beamer/Heavy Light Laser Turret (HLLT)====

Designed as a more permanent defensive structure for highly valuable inner-base areas as well as mid-game frontline duty. Beamers shoot a constant beam (get it? eh? eh?) which causes steady damage. This makes it ideal for dealing with attacks from both heavier units like Hammers/Thuds or much lighter units like Fleas, where it can instantly move on to the next target when the first one is destroyed, rather than waiting for a lengthy cool-down period. These also have a slightly longer range than vanilla LLTs.

The HLLT, on the other hand, is pretty much just a beefed up LLT. It has two turrets, allowing it to target two enemies simultaneously or concentrate on a single one. They have more than their fair share of hit points.

====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.

====Packo/SAM Anti-air Turret====

These are much more durable than standard missile towers and fire homing missiles quite rapidly. They are good at taking out large number of lighter planes quickly, making them a very effective fighter swarm counter. They will struggle to kill level 2 gunships and bombers unless used in large numbers, making flak cannons and level 2 missile towers a better choice against these units. The Packo can retract into a shielded underground state, largely protecting it from ground attack. The SAM just has more hitpoints.

====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.''

Besides Mercury/Screamer towers, these are the longest-range anti-air units you can build.

These buildings do extra damage against bombers.

====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 trajectory", which causes it to fire more damaging but highly inaccurate shells with a large area of effect in a high arc, or "Low trajectory", 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.

These do extra damage against amphibious units, and are therefore a good choice for defending a shoreline against a "fully submerged" opponent.

====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.

====Dargon's Claw/Dragon's Maw====

These are stealthy defensive structures (really stationary units) that can disguise themselves as Dragon's Teeth. When disguised, they can take significant amounts of damage, just like any "pop-up" weapon. If an enemy wanders into range, they'll reveal themselves and attack with a short-ranged lightning cannon (Arm) or flamethrower (Core). When destroyed, they leave behind ordinary Dragon's Teeth.

===Level 2 Defensive Structures===

====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 or nuclear weapons.

====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 totally under water, and so can only be targeted 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 must be constructed before launch) all the way across any map, each of which can destroy a substantial portion of an enemy base. Very few things (such as specialized structures that are in an armoured state by default) can survive a nuke blast, though the missiles can be easily intercepted by Protectors/Fortitudes.

====Juno====

The Juno is a much more limited ballistic 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 sheild that stops all manner of plasma weapons, gauss shells, and EMG fire, but it 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.

The sheild needs to be charged to stop shells, you can determine it's level of charge by how the sheild appears, a barely visible sheild has no or very low charge whereas a bright white sheild is fully charged. The sheild consumes energy to charge.

The sheild can hold it's onw for quite a while against VLRPCs, bur RFVLRPCS can bring them down near instantly.

====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. A cluster of these structures packed into a chokepoint or lined up in front of some Annihilators/Doomsday Machines can do quite a lot of damage. When not in use, they fold away into a concrete bunker, making them effectively immune to long-range artillery and even nuke strikes.

===Arm Level 2 Defensive Structures===

====Detonator====

The Detonator fires ballistic EMP missiles that paralyze units caught inside the blast. Their projectiles cannot be intercepted, making them very good at "preparing" enemy defensive structures or units for an attack. Like nukes and anti-nukes, the Detonator must build each shot before it can be used.

===Core Level 2 Defensive Structures===

====Inferno====

Wide-arc flamethrower. Good against swarms or for use in conjunction with several other Infernos against bigger units, or simply as one more extra support turret in a massively fortified front line.

====Catalyst====

A short-range tactical nuke launcher. The Catalyst's ballistic missile cannot be intercepted by anti-nukes but do significantly less damage than full-sized nukes. This makes them poor at destroying bases, but very good at softening up an enemy defensive line before an attack.

==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 KBots===

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====

Slightly 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 have a long range but 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 are shorter-ranged than Rocko/Storm rockets, but can 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 KBots===

====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 KBots===

The Core has no unique Level 1 KBots.

===Common Lvl 2 KBots===

====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-conceived 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 reanimated corpses of the enemy's attack force into your service to supplement 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 useful for getting past an enemy's defences.

===Arm Lvl 2 KBots===

====Fido====

A very average level 2 KBot. Weaker than a [[#Zeus|Zeus]] or [[#Maverick|Maverick]] but faster and cheaper. Versatile but not particularly good at any one thing. The Fido has two fire modes, which can be toggled by switching its "Active State" between "On" and "Off". The default uses a long-range, slow-firing direct-fire gauss cannon. It's fairly accurate but relatively low-damage. The "Ballistic Cannon" mode fires a less-accurate shell that travels in a higher, ballistic arc, allowing it to fire over other units, Dragon's Teeth, and hills.

====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. Average durability and speed for an L2 unit, but capable of doing impressive damage. It destroys L1 units and light defences with ease. The Maverick also auto-repairs in combat and has a longer visual range than most units, making one or two good "spotters" for a unit of other KBots.

====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, provided you have something to soak up enemy fire while the Sharpshooters do their work.

====Recluse====

A spider KBot that can climb up almost anything. Can cause nightmares for unprepared opponents 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.

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. Even on open ground, the paralyzer weapon makes it an excellent unit to mix in with an assault force, as a couple of shots can take an enemy unit out of the battle for a few seconds, and will probably focus all the enemy's fire on the Spider.

====Scarab====

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.

===Core Lvl 2 KBots===

====Pyro====

Core's level 2 [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/wiki/Swarming swarm]/assault unit unit. Halfway between a Zipper and a Zeus in toughness and speed. 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. Generally, you'll want to back these up with Cans.

====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. Longer weapon range and more power, as well as a much faster fire rate. 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. Good at countering light Level 3 KBots. Like the Can, it has a combat auto-repair.

====Morty====

A support KBot with a very big gun. Has a long range and fires fast, 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 torpedoes 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 or Raiders near the front lines to reinforce your assault force can be very effective!

====Dominator====

Another artillery support KBot, the Dominator fires vertically-launched rockets. These are only slightly longer-ranged 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, but it can cloak too. Combined with radar jamming, a Skuttle can blast an impressive hole in even the toughest defences.

====Leejen====

A light and fast but totally unarmed scout KBot. Cheap unit, good for scouting ahead of a force for things like stealth units, mines, and enemy defences. Has a very short-ranged radar for spotting cloaked units, etc.

===Common Lvl 3 KBots===

====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 Annihilators/Doomsday Machines, 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, or a few Sumos, though it can outrun the Sumos.

====Marauder====

A medium amphibious assault unit. Very fast moving on land, and can be 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 bypass enemy defences.

====Aegis====

A mobile EMP ballistic missile 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 KBots===

====Krogoth====

An [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/wiki/Uberweapon Uberweapon]. Costs absurd amounts of resources. Slightly more powerful and tougher than the Orcone, and features a shotgun-style blaster which is ideal for concentrated fire on a single heavy target or spread fire over a swarm of lesser units.

====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 vulnerable 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. Juggernauts have a lot of hit points, so they can also be used as a sort of "rolling front line". Should ideally have a group of support construction units for when its job is done and it's lost a lot of health.

====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. In groups of three or more, these can tear apart an enemy base in as little as 60 seconds. They should be guarded well by units such as Sumos, Cans, and Karganeths.

==Vehicles==

Vehicles use wheels or tracks to move. They're generaly fast, 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 Vehicles===

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 equivalent 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.

====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 equivalent 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 fair 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 (to their peril).

===Arm Lvl 1 Vehicles===

====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 Vehicles===

====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 Vehicles===

====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 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. They are slower than other forms of mobile artillery but tougher, making them good at assaulting enemy defensive structures.

====Triton/Croc====

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. The usual limitations of amphibious units apply.

====Bulldog/Reaper====

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

===Arm Lvl 2 Vehicles===

====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, especially once L3 units start rolling out. 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 and Zeus. These can be used to construct front-line reinforcements or even, with the help of jammers, construct an entire attack force for use against an unwary opponent.

===Core Lvl 2 Vehicles===

====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. While expensive, a force of goliaths can do very impressive damage and can be very difficult to stop, especially since it auto-repairs even during combat. 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.

====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. Its shots have a fairly large scatter, making them great at wiping out clustered defences or resource buildings.

====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.

==Aircraft==

Aircraft are airborne combat units. They're fast, can cross any terrain, but can take very little damage. Most aircraft are specialized, and designed for a specific task. Against units not built specifically to counter them, aircraft are very effective. Against anti-air units, they are at a significant disadvantage. Generally air units are not a base busting assault weapon, but anyone who assumes that they are useless will play at a significant disadvantage. Aircraft can be put to several uses, even in the late game:

Scouting: You've built a [[#Big Bertha/Intimidator|VLRPC]] (or ten). The sounds of each successive shell exploding in your enemy's base is slowly ratcheting up the pressure. But how do you know whether the pride of your army is destroying important enemy buildings, or killing peewees and solar collectors? Build some airplanes and have a look. You can then aim your Big Bertha at a worthy target. If your enemies build LRPCs, but only one player builds planes, guess who will find and destroy the opposing LRPCs first?

A few light aircraft can also be a great investment ahead of a ground attack. You can spot holes in the defence to aim for or unexpected resistance to retreat from before taking losses. They can provide line of sight for long range artillery to start pounding opposing defences. And what is that blob of units coming towards you on the radar? A plane can tell you if its 20 peewees or 20 goliaths. Any empty space on the map? Send a plane to scout at random intervals; you might find and prevent an opponent preparing a nasty surprise under cover of a radar jammer.

In general terms, scout aircraft are invaluable, as they're a very reliable mechanism for gathering precise information about the battlefield, even through heavy radar jamming and enemy fire.

Overwhelming: Focus efforts on building a large devestating force of bombers or gunships. With enough effort or against an unsuspecting victim, you may create a large enough air attack to devestate a base with insufficient anti-air defence. If your opponent ''does'' build enough anti-air defences, the setback to your economy from this effort will be serious.

Defence: An often overlooked aspect of aircraft is their use for base defence. They have the advantage of being able to intercept an attack from any direction quickly. If the attack force does not include a significant anti air componenent, your planes can attack while taking very little damage in return. [[#Hawk/Vamp|Hawks/Vamps]] are particularly good at this, and while they're unlikely to do fatal damage to ground units, they're excellent at intercepting and destroying enemy airstrikes. Level 2 bombers and gunships can provide a more adiquate dfence against ground assaults. A few Arm Stilletos, for instance, can provide an effective defence against nearly any attack.

Strategic strikes: Sometimes your opponent has a key building you badly want to destroy. It might be a [[#Retaliator/Silencer|nuclear silo]], [[#Protector/Fortitude|nuclear defence]], or a [[#Vulcan/Buzzsaw|rapid fire LRPC]]. Perhaps a [[#Moho Geothermal Powerplant|moho geothermal]], or [[#Advanced Fusion Reactor|advanced fusion]] that could take half the base with it if you can kill it. Or a [[#Commander|Commander]]. A determined bombing assault can often do the trick. Air has an unequaled ability to rapidly move and concentrate force to attack a key location. Just make sure the target is worth the effort, as in most games the planes that will get destroyed by anti-air in such a strike will represent a significant investment of resources. You'll need to use ground forces to capitalize on the strike.

All aircraft have a limited-range sonar, allowing them to see submerged units immediately under them. Aircraft generally cost larger amounts of energy, and lower amounts of metal when compared with other units. This can energy stall an unprepared player who tries to build an air force too early in the game. Aircraft also take a long time to build. Building an Air Factory as your first factory is a high-risk move guaranteed to slow down economic expansion drastrically.

===Common Lvl 1 Aircraft===

====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. Carries flares to reduce the effectiveness of guided AA weapons. They're best used as scouts, to spot targets for long-range artillery or attack forces. As they're cheap, fast, airborne, carry radar, and have a good sight range, Peepers and Finks are among the best scouts in the game. It's almost always worth building an L1 Aircraft Plant even if you only use it for building these.

====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. Although they're not specifically designed for it, a group of 20-30 of these can be quickly and cheaply built to harass enemy units to great effect. Great against level 1 aircraft, and useful against level 2 aircraft if built in a large enough swarm. They are also extremely effective against gunships, as gunships do not typically have guided weapons. A large swarm can also be surprisingly effective against light ground units. However their weapons tend to fire infrequently at ground unless specifically ordered to do so.

An effective tactic can be to slowly assemble a group of these and then use them to raid your enemy's resources; from then on, he'll be forced to build extensive anti-air even if you don't plan on ever using air again. If your enemy is spending half his resources to defend against an attack that's not coming....

====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, but if you can find an opening in the enemies anti aircraft defences these could drop in a few units that would spell certian defeat.

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 Aircraft===

====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 damage, 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 vulnerable to flak.

As with all gunships, banshees take slightly (~20%) reduced damage from missiles compared to other types of aircraft.

===Core Lvl 1 Aircraft===

====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 paralysing serious threats. It can hover, allowing it to attack slow-moving or stationary ground units very effectively but making it vulnerable to flak.

Many Core players have gone on the record to say that the only reason they like Core so much is the Bladewing. With its ability to temporarily remove any one unit from a fight, you can effectively take the wind out of your enemy's sails if that one unit is, for instance, a Bantha.

Be aware that superweapons and Commanders are nigh-invulnerable to paralyzer weapons. Concentrated fire may temporarily stun them, but they'll be back in action practically the instant you stop firing.

===Common Lvl 2 Aircraft===

====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. Before the enemy has significant flak defences, Brawlers and Rapiers are viable for assaults. After that point, they're best used to raid areas of the enemy base lacking flak for whatever reason, or harass assault forces that have insufficient AA cover. These are also fairly supicable to fighters, especialy when traveling to or from a target.

====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, regardless of what it is. 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.

As advanced missile towers and flak get built, the ability of Phoenixes and Hurricanes to hit targets anywhere in a base diminishes. They remain useful for striking targets near the edge, and can be good for softening up a defence line or breaking a hole in it before an attack, but typically need to withdraw (or will be destroyed) after one or two passes.

Because of their bomb scattering attribute, a group of even 5+ Phoenix or Hurricanes can be used to quickly massacre even a moderately fast-moving attack group if it isn't protected by a strong anti-air presence.

====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, gunships, and level 1 fighters. Not so good offensively, though, as they suck at attacking ground targets. They're good at intercepting enemy airstrikes and providing AA defence for the skies over your base or contested territory.

====Eagle/Vulture====

A more sophisticated recon plane. Has a longer radar range and carries a real sonar. Information about your enemy's activities is vital for both attack and defence, and the Eagle/Vulture can tell you a lot. Since they're more expensive than the Peeper/Fink, they're less expendable, making them less useful for quick scouting once AA is deployed. Carry flares to improve their survivability against guided missiles.

===Arm Lvl 2 Aircraft===

====Blade====

A gunship with even more armor and an even bigger weapon. They're tough and reasonably fast, making them good support for your assault forces once the enemy deploys flak cannons and Mercuries/Screamers. Hawks/Vamps and Freedom Fighters/Avengers still work well against them.

Because of a Blade's heavy armor, they take only 50% damage from flak guns, in addition to the standard 20% damage reduction for missile attacks on gunships. In short, they're Arm's ultimate high-flying badasses.

====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 Hawks/Vamps and Freedom Fighters/Avengers, 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, or greater amounts of smaller units. Unlike level 1 transports these can be used in an assault role providiing enemy AA isnt incredibly strong. The ability to drop several units into an enemy base is not to be underestimated.

====Stilleto====

A stealthy bomber whose weapon paralyzes targets caught in the blast. Good for softening up a defence line or assault force. These units are highly resiliant against anti-aircraft fire, with a relativley high amount of hitpoints, radar invisibility, and flares to deflect missiles. On the offensive it can be used to disable enemy AA or ground turrets, allowing you to move in a more damaging force. On defence it can disable large amounts of small units, or even the large mechs which have no defence against such aircraft.

===Core Lvl 2 Aircraft===

====Seahook====

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

====Krow====

Flying instagib. With its three heavy, rapid-firing lasers, it will kill anything that isn't a group of 5+ flak guns or a fighter swarm.

==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 Ships and Subs===

====Skeeter/Searcher====

The naval equivalent 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. They are also useful as anti-air for early attacks, before you can get/need the standard AA ships ([[#Archer/Shredder|Archer/Shredder]]).

====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 Ships and Subs===

====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 much more accurate heavy laser. These ships can dominate enemy fleets but are expensive and very weak against submarines and aircraft. 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 sea-borne 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.

==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 Hovercraft===

====Mausser/Navarone====

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

====Swatter/Slinger====

An anti-air 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. Neither can stand up to proper tanks or ships, but they're very good for quick attacks over small bodies of water.

====Wombat/Nixer====

A hovercraft with a vertically-launched artillery rocket. Very similar to the Merl/Diplomat, but with a shorter range, faster fire rate, and lower 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.) These effectively form the tier 3 of aircraft. While the ranks of seaplanes do not include units like Krows or Krogoths, they are far more cost effective, more powerful, generally nimbler, faster, and so on. Seaplane factories can only be built on the water by Advanced Construction Submarines and Aircraft

===Common Lvl 1 Seaplanes===

====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. Carries flares to help protect it against guided missiles.

====Tornado/Voodoo====

Basic fighter seaplane. Similar to the Hawk/Vamp, but not stealthy and with a less powerful air-to-air missile. Although they will generally lose to a Hawk/Vamp in a head-to-head fight, they are far less expensive and faster to build.

====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. About the same general power level as a Brawler/Rapier, but slightly more cost-effective, quick, and nimble. 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/Maelstrom====

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

2006-07-11T17:26:01Z

Egarwaen: /* Spider */ Clarity.

This is the Practical AA Guide. It has information such as ways to best use units, and things to avoid. To answer more technical questions, such as exactly how much damage per second a weapon is capable of, or precise build costs of a particular unit, you may want to visit the [http://ta-aa.sourceforge.net/modweb Technical AA Guide].

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 in the first few minutes of the game, and destroys any reclaimable wreckage. His laser should be more than enough against small groups of raiders. Whatever you do, '''do not''' D-Gun your own structures or units unless it's that or lose the game.

The Commander has a small but constant auto-repair, which makes him better able to handle fire from raiders and sporadic artillery hits.

==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 Resource Structures===

====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 Collector====

More expensive than a [[#Wind Generator|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 Metal Maker consumes 100e and produces 1m. When building metal makers, always use the [[Metal Maker AI]].

There are also floating versions of this structure, these ae somhat more efficient, consuming 90e and producing 1m.

====Advanced Solar Collector====

The Advanced Solar Generator produces about four times as much energy (75 per tick) as a regular [[#Solar Collector|Solar Collector]], but costs correspondingly more metal and significantly more energy. Their advantage over regular Solar Collectors is that they have a smaller footprint (4x4 instead of 5x5). They cannot close into a more armored form, but they do have more health.

====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.

Geothermal powerplants, much like the level 2 Moho Geothermal Powerplants, have a nasty explosion. Be careful what you build around them since they will be a prime target of opportunity.

Absolute Annihilation gives Arm increased output from geothermal powerplants.

====Energy/Metal Storage====

As the name indicates, these structures provide you with additional energy and metal storage. Since all resource structures in AA come with some 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 usually be using up your metal as fast as you can without stalling. ''However'' if you're reclaiming a lot of things, especially any [[#Commander|Commander]] wreckage laying about, you'll need these in order to make sure you receive all your metal.

===Arm Level 1 Resource Structures===

====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 necessary. Watch out for this when killing them if the enemy has some units nearby, as paralyzed units are easy prey.

===Core Level 1 Resource Structures===

====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 Resource Structures===

====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. Unlike Moho Mines in [[XTA]], they only cost 25 energy to operate. 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.

Absolute Annihilation gives Core slightly better energy output on their fusion plants.

====Moho Metal Maker====

A bigger, better metal maker. Takes much more energy to operate, but produces much more metal, and does so more efficently. 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, wich is the most efficent energy to metal convertor of all.

====Metal Generator====

A structure that provides a steady input of 1m at no cost other than initial construction. 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.

Absolute Annihilation gives Arm a hefty boost to their output from Moho Geothermal Powerplants.

====Advanced Fusion Reactor====

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

Absolute Annihilation gives Core a hefty boost to their Advanced Fusion Reactor's energy output. However, this is somewhat offset by the greater cost a Core player must pay if he or she wants to cloak their reactor.

===Arm Level 2 Resource Structures===

====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 Resource Structures===

====Moho 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. Behemoths have the longest range of any structure except for LRPC/RFLRPCs.

==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. Units firing on radar dots can gain better accuracy if a player or one of his allies builds a radar targeting facility. 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 by either side. Yes, this means that you can't use radar to detect enemy units inside the area of effect of one of your jammers! 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.

In the late game, as more and more of the map gets covered by radar jammers, Dragon's Eyes become one of the most effective ways to keep track of your enemy's activities. They're virtually undectable once built and can't be fooled by radar jamming or stealth, though they still can't see cloaked units.

===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 [[#Bulldog|Bulldogs]] or [[#Goliath|Goliaths]], can drive over Dragon's Teeth, destroying them in the process.

Commanders and construction planes have a speed advantage in building these, as construction bots and vehicles do a small animation whenver they start or finish constructing something. This slows them down significantly on such cheap structures.

These can be used in lines to block an enemy advance. This is useful to prevent fast raiding units from simply rushing past your defences to attack key buildings in the back of your base. They can also be used in small lines or squares surrounding a defensive structure such as a [[#Sentinel/Gaat_Gun_Heavy_Laser_Tower|heavy laser tower]]. This can provide some protection from small units with direct fire weapons such as the [[#Flash/Instigator|Flash tank]].

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

One interesting use of Dragon's Teeth is terrain modification. DTs have a substantially higher "slope tolerance" (the maximum slope they can be built on) than most structures. They can be reclaimed to recover much of the metal that went into their construction. This makes them excellent for "clearing terrain" for building other structures. Just build a single DT or a small block of them, reclaim them, and build on the now-flattened land! This is great for putting up LLTs on hills, but can also be used to place Guardians/Punishers in unexpected locations. (Tip from Felix the Cat)

===Level 1 Defensive Structures===

====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 abbreviated as "LLT". They're good for covering mostly-blocked approaches to your base (like hills), as they can kill most light raiding forces.

A good way to defend against early to mid-game attacks is to build 3 LLTs in a loose cluster at the top of any hills or in choke points. Then build a couple of radar towers behind them to help spot enemies.

Throughout any game, even to the end, LLTs should be built in key areas of your base. They will come in handy in case an enemy slips through your outer perimeter.

====Beamer/Heavy Light Laser Turret (HLLT)====

Designed as a more permanent defensive structure for highly valuable inner-base areas as well as mid-game frontline duty. Beamers shoot a constant beam (get it? eh? eh?) which causes steady damage. This makes it ideal for dealing with attacks from both heavier units like Hammers/Thuds or much lighter units like Fleas, where it can instantly move on to the next target when the first one is destroyed, rather than waiting for a lengthy cool-down period. These also have a slightly longer range than vanilla LLTs.

The HLLT, on the other hand, is pretty much just a beefed up LLT. It has two turrets, allowing it to target two enemies simultaneously or concentrate on a single one. They have more than their fair share of hit points.

====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.

====Packo/SAM Anti-air Turret====

These are much more durable than standard missile towers and fire homing missiles quite rapidly. They are good at taking out large number of lighter planes quickly, making them a very effective fighter swarm counter. They will struggle to kill level 2 gunships and bombers unless used in large numbers, making flak cannons and level 2 missile towers a better choice against these units. The Packo can retract into a shielded underground state, largely protecting it from ground attack. The SAM just has more hitpoints.

====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.''

Besides Mercury/Screamer towers, these are the longest-range anti-air units you can build.

These buildings do extra damage against bombers.

====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 trajectory", which causes it to fire more damaging but highly inaccurate shells with a large area of effect in a high arc, or "Low trajectory", 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.

These do extra damage against amphibious units, and are therefore a good choice for defending a shoreline against a "fully submerged" opponent.

====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.

====Dargon's Claw/Dragon's Maw====

These are stealthy defensive structures (really stationary units) that can disguise themselves as Dragon's Teeth. When disguised, they can take significant amounts of damage, just like any "pop-up" weapon. If an enemy wanders into range, they'll reveal themselves and attack with a short-ranged lightning cannon (Arm) or flamethrower (Core). When destroyed, they leave behind ordinary Dragon's Teeth.

===Level 2 Defensive Structures===

====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 or nuclear weapons.

====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 totally under water, and so can only be targeted 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 must be constructed before launch) all the way across any map, each of which can destroy a substantial portion of an enemy base. Very few things (such as specialized structures that are in an armoured state by default) can survive a nuke blast, though the missiles can be easily intercepted by Protectors/Fortitudes.

====Juno====

The Juno is a much more limited ballistic 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 sheild that stops all manner of plasma weapons, gauss shells, and EMG fire, but it 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.

The sheild needs to be charged to stop shells, you can determine it's level of charge by how the sheild appears, a barely visible sheild has no or very low charge whereas a bright white sheild is fully charged. The sheild consumes energy to charge.

The sheild can hold it's onw for quite a while against VLRPCs, bur RFVLRPCS can bring them down near instantly.

====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. A cluster of these structures packed into a chokepoint or lined up in front of some Annihilators/Doomsday Machines can do quite a lot of damage. When not in use, they fold away into a concrete bunker, making them effectively immune to long-range artillery and even nuke strikes.

===Arm Level 2 Defensive Structures===

====Detonator====

The Detonator fires ballistic EMP missiles that paralyze units caught inside the blast. Their projectiles cannot be intercepted, making them very good at "preparing" enemy defensive structures or units for an attack. Like nukes and anti-nukes, the Detonator must build each shot before it can be used.

===Core Level 2 Defensive Structures===

====Inferno====

Wide-arc flamethrower. Good against swarms or for use in conjunction with several other Infernos against bigger units, or simply as one more extra support turret in a massively fortified front line.

====Catalyst====

A short-range tactical nuke launcher. The Catalyst's ballistic missile cannot be intercepted by anti-nukes but do significantly less damage than full-sized nukes. This makes them poor at destroying bases, but very good at softening up an enemy defensive line before an attack.

==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 KBots===

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====

Slightly 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 have a long range but 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 are shorter-ranged than Rocko/Storm rockets, but can 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 KBots===

====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 KBots===

The Core has no unique Level 1 KBots.

===Common Lvl 2 KBots===

====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-conceived 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 reanimated corpses of the enemy's attack force into your service to supplement 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 useful for getting past an enemy's defences.

===Arm Lvl 2 KBots===

====Fido====

A very average level 2 KBot. Weaker than a [[#Zeus|Zeus]] or [[#Maverick|Maverick]] but faster and cheaper. Versatile but not particularly good at any one thing. The Fido has two fire modes, which can be toggled by switching its "Active State" between "On" and "Off". The default uses a long-range, slow-firing direct-fire gauss cannon. It's fairly accurate but relatively low-damage. The "Ballistic Cannon" mode fires a less-accurate shell that travels in a higher, ballistic arc, allowing it to fire over other units, Dragon's Teeth, and hills.

====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. Average durability and speed for an L2 unit, but capable of doing impressive damage. It destroys L1 units and light defences with ease. The Maverick also auto-repairs in combat and has a longer visual range than most units, making one or two good "spotters" for a unit of other KBots.

====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, provided you have something to soak up enemy fire while the Sharpshooters do their work.

====Recluse====

A spider KBot that can climb up almost anything. Can cause nightmares for unprepared opponents 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.

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. Even on open ground, the paralyzer weapon makes it an excellent unit to mix in with an assault force, as a couple of shots can take an enemy unit out of the battle for a few seconds, and will probably focus all the enemy's fire on the Spider.

====Scarab====

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.

===Core Lvl 2 KBots===

====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.

====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. Longer weapon range and more power, as well as a much faster fire rate. 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. Good at countering light Level 3 KBots. Like the Can, it has a combat auto-repair.

====Morty====

A support KBot with a very big gun. Has a long range and fires fast, 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 torpedoes 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 or Raiders near the front lines to reinforce your assault force can be very effective!

====Dominator====

Another artillery support KBot, the Dominator fires vertically-launched rockets. These are only slightly longer-ranged 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, but it can cloak too. Combined with radar jamming, a Skuttle can blast an impressive hole in even the toughest defences.

====Leejen====

A light and fast but totally unarmed scout KBot. Cheap unit, good for scouting ahead of a force for things like stealth units, mines, and enemy defences. Has a very short-ranged radar for spotting cloaked units, etc.

===Common Lvl 3 KBots===

====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 Annihilators/Doomsday Machines, 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, or a few Sumos, though it can outrun the Sumos.

====Marauder====

A medium amphibious assault unit. Very fast moving on land, and can be 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 bypass enemy defences.

====Aegis====

A mobile EMP ballistic missile 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 KBots===

====Krogoth====

An [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/wiki/Uberweapon Uberweapon]. Costs absurd amounts of resources. Slightly more powerful and tougher than the Orcone, and features a shotgun-style blaster which is ideal for concentrated fire on a single heavy target or spread fire over a swarm of lesser units.

====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 vulnerable 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. Juggernauts have a lot of hit points, so they can also be used as a sort of "rolling front line". Should ideally have a group of support construction units for when its job is done and it's lost a lot of health.

====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. In groups of three or more, these can tear apart an enemy base in as little as 60 seconds. They should be guarded well by units such as Sumos, Cans, and Karganeths.

==Vehicles==

Vehicles use wheels or tracks to move. They're generaly fast, 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 Vehicles===

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 equivalent 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.

====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 equivalent 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 fair 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 (to their peril).

===Arm Lvl 1 Vehicles===

====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 Vehicles===

====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 Vehicles===

====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 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. They are slower than other forms of mobile artillery but tougher, making them good at assaulting enemy defensive structures.

====Triton/Croc====

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. The usual limitations of amphibious units apply.

====Bulldog/Reaper====

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

===Arm Lvl 2 Vehicles===

====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, especially once L3 units start rolling out. 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 and Zeus. These can be used to construct front-line reinforcements or even, with the help of jammers, construct an entire attack force for use against an unwary opponent.

===Core Lvl 2 Vehicles===

====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. While expensive, a force of goliaths can do very impressive damage and can be very difficult to stop, especially since it auto-repairs even during combat. 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.

====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. Its shots have a fairly large scatter, making them great at wiping out clustered defences or resource buildings.

====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.

==Aircraft==

Aircraft are airborne combat units. They're fast, can cross any terrain, but can take very little damage. Most aircraft are specialized, and designed for a specific task. Against units not built specifically to counter them, aircraft are very effective. Against anti-air units, they are at a significant disadvantage. Generally air units are not a base busting assault weapon, but anyone who assumes that they are useless will play at a significant disadvantage. Aircraft can be put to several uses, even in the late game:

Scouting: You've built a [[#Big Bertha/Intimidator|VLRPC]] (or ten). The sounds of each successive shell exploding in your enemy's base is slowly ratcheting up the pressure. But how do you know whether the pride of your army is destroying important enemy buildings, or killing peewees and solar collectors? Build some airplanes and have a look. You can then aim your Big Bertha at a worthy target. If your enemies build LRPCs, but only one player builds planes, guess who will find and destroy the opposing LRPCs first?

A few light aircraft can also be a great investment ahead of a ground attack. You can spot holes in the defence to aim for or unexpected resistance to retreat from before taking losses. They can provide line of sight for long range artillery to start pounding opposing defences. And what is that blob of units coming towards you on the radar? A plane can tell you if its 20 peewees or 20 goliaths. Any empty space on the map? Send a plane to scout at random intervals; you might find and prevent an opponent preparing a nasty surprise under cover of a radar jammer.

In general terms, scout aircraft are invaluable, as they're a very reliable mechanism for gathering precise information about the battlefield, even through heavy radar jamming and enemy fire.

Overwhelming: Focus efforts on building a large devestating force of bombers or gunships. With enough effort or against an unsuspecting victim, you may create a large enough air attack to devestate a base with insufficient anti-air defence. If your opponent ''does'' build enough anti-air defences, the setback to your economy from this effort will be serious.

Defence: An often overlooked aspect of aircraft is their use for base defence. They have the advantage of being able to intercept an attack from any direction quickly. If the attack force does not include a significant anti air componenent, your planes can attack while taking very little damage in return. [[#Hawk/Vamp|Hawks/Vamps]] are particularly good at this, and while they're unlikely to do fatal damage to ground units, they're excellent at intercepting and destroying enemy airstrikes. Level 2 bombers and gunships can provide a more adiquate dfence against ground assaults. A few Arm Stilletos, for instance, can provide an effective defence against nearly any attack.

Strategic strikes: Sometimes your opponent has a key building you badly want to destroy. It might be a [[#Retaliator/Silencer|nuclear silo]], [[#Protector/Fortitude|nuclear defence]], or a [[#Vulcan/Buzzsaw|rapid fire LRPC]]. Perhaps a [[#Moho Geothermal Powerplant|moho geothermal]], or [[#Advanced Fusion Reactor|advanced fusion]] that could take half the base with it if you can kill it. Or a [[#Commander|Commander]]. A determined bombing assault can often do the trick. Air has an unequaled ability to rapidly move and concentrate force to attack a key location. Just make sure the target is worth the effort, as in most games the planes that will get destroyed by anti-air in such a strike will represent a significant investment of resources. You'll need to use ground forces to capitalize on the strike.

All aircraft have a limited-range sonar, allowing them to see submerged units immediately under them. Aircraft generally cost larger amounts of energy, and lower amounts of metal when compared with other units. This can energy stall an unprepared player who tries to build an air force too early in the game. Aircraft also take a long time to build. Building an Air Factory as your first factory is a high-risk move guaranteed to slow down economic expansion drastrically.

===Common Lvl 1 Aircraft===

====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. Carries flares to reduce the effectiveness of guided AA weapons. They're best used as scouts, to spot targets for long-range artillery or attack forces. As they're cheap, fast, airborne, carry radar, and have a good sight range, Peepers and Finks are among the best scouts in the game. It's almost always worth building an L1 Aircraft Plant even if you only use it for building these.

====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. Although they're not specifically designed for it, a group of 20-30 of these can be quickly and cheaply built to harass enemy units to great effect. Great against level 1 aircraft, and useful against level 2 aircraft if built in a large enough swarm. They are also extremely effective against gunships, as gunships do not typically have guided weapons. A large swarm can also be surprisingly effective against light ground units. However their weapons tend to fire infrequently at ground unless specifically ordered to do so.

An effective tactic can be to slowly assemble a group of these and then use them to raid your enemy's resources; from then on, he'll be forced to build extensive anti-air even if you don't plan on ever using air again. If your enemy is spending half his resources to defend against an attack that's not coming....

====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, but if you can find an opening in the enemies anti aircraft defences these could drop in a few units that would spell certian defeat.

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 Aircraft===

====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 damage, 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 vulnerable to flak.

As with all gunships, banshees take slightly (~20%) reduced damage from missiles compared to other types of aircraft.

===Core Lvl 1 Aircraft===

====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 paralysing serious threats. It can hover, allowing it to attack slow-moving or stationary ground units very effectively but making it vulnerable to flak.

Many Core players have gone on the record to say that the only reason they like Core so much is the Bladewing. With its ability to temporarily remove any one unit from a fight, you can effectively take the wind out of your enemy's sails if that one unit is, for instance, a Bantha.

Be aware that superweapons and Commanders are nigh-invulnerable to paralyzer weapons. Concentrated fire may temporarily stun them, but they'll be back in action practically the instant you stop firing.

===Common Lvl 2 Aircraft===

====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. Before the enemy has significant flak defences, Brawlers and Rapiers are viable for assaults. After that point, they're best used to raid areas of the enemy base lacking flak for whatever reason, or harass assault forces that have insufficient AA cover. These are also fairly supicable to fighters, especialy when traveling to or from a target.

====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, regardless of what it is. 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.

As advanced missile towers and flak get built, the ability of Phoenixes and Hurricanes to hit targets anywhere in a base diminishes. They remain useful for striking targets near the edge, and can be good for softening up a defence line or breaking a hole in it before an attack, but typically need to withdraw (or will be destroyed) after one or two passes.

Because of their bomb scattering attribute, a group of even 5+ Phoenix or Hurricanes can be used to quickly massacre even a moderately fast-moving attack group if it isn't protected by a strong anti-air presence.

====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, gunships, and level 1 fighters. Not so good offensively, though, as they suck at attacking ground targets. They're good at intercepting enemy airstrikes and providing AA defence for the skies over your base or contested territory.

====Eagle/Vulture====

A more sophisticated recon plane. Has a longer radar range and carries a real sonar. Information about your enemy's activities is vital for both attack and defence, and the Eagle/Vulture can tell you a lot. Since they're more expensive than the Peeper/Fink, they're less expendable, making them less useful for quick scouting once AA is deployed. Carry flares to improve their survivability against guided missiles.

===Arm Lvl 2 Aircraft===

====Blade====

A gunship with even more armor and an even bigger weapon. They're tough and reasonably fast, making them good support for your assault forces once the enemy deploys flak cannons and Mercuries/Screamers. Hawks/Vamps and Freedom Fighters/Avengers still work well against them.

Because of a Blade's heavy armor, they take only 50% damage from flak guns, in addition to the standard 20% damage reduction for missile attacks on gunships. In short, they're Arm's ultimate high-flying badasses.

====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 Hawks/Vamps and Freedom Fighters/Avengers, 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, or greater amounts of smaller units. Unlike level 1 transports these can be used in an assault role providiing enemy AA isnt incredibly strong. The ability to drop several units into an enemy base is not to be underestimated.

====Stilleto====

A stealthy bomber whose weapon paralyzes targets caught in the blast. Good for softening up a defence line or assault force. These units are highly resiliant against anti-aircraft fire, with a relativley high amount of hitpoints, radar invisibility, and flares to deflect missiles. On the offensive it can be used to disable enemy AA or ground turrets, allowing you to move in a more damaging force. On defence it can disable large amounts of small units, or even the large mechs which have no defence against such aircraft.

===Core Lvl 2 Aircraft===

====Seahook====

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

====Krow====

Flying instagib. With its three heavy, rapid-firing lasers, it will kill anything that isn't a group of 5+ flak guns or a fighter swarm.

==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 Ships and Subs===

====Skeeter/Searcher====

The naval equivalent 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. They are also useful as anti-air for early attacks, before you can get/need the standard AA ships ([[#Archer/Shredder|Archer/Shredder]]).

====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 Ships and Subs===

====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 much more accurate heavy laser. These ships can dominate enemy fleets but are expensive and very weak against submarines and aircraft. 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 sea-borne 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.

==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 Hovercraft===

====Mausser/Navarone====

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

====Swatter/Slinger====

An anti-air 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. Neither can stand up to proper tanks or ships, but they're very good for quick attacks over small bodies of water.

====Wombat/Nixer====

A hovercraft with a vertically-launched artillery rocket. Very similar to the Merl/Diplomat, but with a shorter range, faster fire rate, and lower 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.) These effectively form the tier 3 of aircraft. While the ranks of seaplanes do not include units like Krows or Krogoths, they are far more cost effective, more powerful, generally nimbler, faster, and so on. Seaplane factories can only be built on the water by Advanced Construction Submarines and Aircraft

===Common Lvl 1 Seaplanes===

====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. Carries flares to help protect it against guided missiles.

====Tornado/Voodoo====

Basic fighter seaplane. Similar to the Hawk/Vamp, but not stealthy and with a less powerful air-to-air missile. Although they will generally lose to a Hawk/Vamp in a head-to-head fight, they are far less expensive and faster to build.

====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. About the same general power level as a Brawler/Rapier, but slightly more cost-effective, quick, and nimble. 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/Maelstrom====

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

2006-07-11T17:24:40Z

Egarwaen: /* Sharpshooter */ Adjusted slightly.

This is the Practical AA Guide. It has information such as ways to best use units, and things to avoid. To answer more technical questions, such as exactly how much damage per second a weapon is capable of, or precise build costs of a particular unit, you may want to visit the [http://ta-aa.sourceforge.net/modweb Technical AA Guide].

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 in the first few minutes of the game, and destroys any reclaimable wreckage. His laser should be more than enough against small groups of raiders. Whatever you do, '''do not''' D-Gun your own structures or units unless it's that or lose the game.

The Commander has a small but constant auto-repair, which makes him better able to handle fire from raiders and sporadic artillery hits.

==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 Resource Structures===

====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 Collector====

More expensive than a [[#Wind Generator|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 Metal Maker consumes 100e and produces 1m. When building metal makers, always use the [[Metal Maker AI]].

There are also floating versions of this structure, these ae somhat more efficient, consuming 90e and producing 1m.

====Advanced Solar Collector====

The Advanced Solar Generator produces about four times as much energy (75 per tick) as a regular [[#Solar Collector|Solar Collector]], but costs correspondingly more metal and significantly more energy. Their advantage over regular Solar Collectors is that they have a smaller footprint (4x4 instead of 5x5). They cannot close into a more armored form, but they do have more health.

====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.

Geothermal powerplants, much like the level 2 Moho Geothermal Powerplants, have a nasty explosion. Be careful what you build around them since they will be a prime target of opportunity.

Absolute Annihilation gives Arm increased output from geothermal powerplants.

====Energy/Metal Storage====

As the name indicates, these structures provide you with additional energy and metal storage. Since all resource structures in AA come with some 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 usually be using up your metal as fast as you can without stalling. ''However'' if you're reclaiming a lot of things, especially any [[#Commander|Commander]] wreckage laying about, you'll need these in order to make sure you receive all your metal.

===Arm Level 1 Resource Structures===

====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 necessary. Watch out for this when killing them if the enemy has some units nearby, as paralyzed units are easy prey.

===Core Level 1 Resource Structures===

====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 Resource Structures===

====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. Unlike Moho Mines in [[XTA]], they only cost 25 energy to operate. 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.

Absolute Annihilation gives Core slightly better energy output on their fusion plants.

====Moho Metal Maker====

A bigger, better metal maker. Takes much more energy to operate, but produces much more metal, and does so more efficently. 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, wich is the most efficent energy to metal convertor of all.

====Metal Generator====

A structure that provides a steady input of 1m at no cost other than initial construction. 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.

Absolute Annihilation gives Arm a hefty boost to their output from Moho Geothermal Powerplants.

====Advanced Fusion Reactor====

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

Absolute Annihilation gives Core a hefty boost to their Advanced Fusion Reactor's energy output. However, this is somewhat offset by the greater cost a Core player must pay if he or she wants to cloak their reactor.

===Arm Level 2 Resource Structures===

====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 Resource Structures===

====Moho 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. Behemoths have the longest range of any structure except for LRPC/RFLRPCs.

==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. Units firing on radar dots can gain better accuracy if a player or one of his allies builds a radar targeting facility. 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 by either side. Yes, this means that you can't use radar to detect enemy units inside the area of effect of one of your jammers! 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.

In the late game, as more and more of the map gets covered by radar jammers, Dragon's Eyes become one of the most effective ways to keep track of your enemy's activities. They're virtually undectable once built and can't be fooled by radar jamming or stealth, though they still can't see cloaked units.

===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 [[#Bulldog|Bulldogs]] or [[#Goliath|Goliaths]], can drive over Dragon's Teeth, destroying them in the process.

Commanders and construction planes have a speed advantage in building these, as construction bots and vehicles do a small animation whenver they start or finish constructing something. This slows them down significantly on such cheap structures.

These can be used in lines to block an enemy advance. This is useful to prevent fast raiding units from simply rushing past your defences to attack key buildings in the back of your base. They can also be used in small lines or squares surrounding a defensive structure such as a [[#Sentinel/Gaat_Gun_Heavy_Laser_Tower|heavy laser tower]]. This can provide some protection from small units with direct fire weapons such as the [[#Flash/Instigator|Flash tank]].

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

One interesting use of Dragon's Teeth is terrain modification. DTs have a substantially higher "slope tolerance" (the maximum slope they can be built on) than most structures. They can be reclaimed to recover much of the metal that went into their construction. This makes them excellent for "clearing terrain" for building other structures. Just build a single DT or a small block of them, reclaim them, and build on the now-flattened land! This is great for putting up LLTs on hills, but can also be used to place Guardians/Punishers in unexpected locations. (Tip from Felix the Cat)

===Level 1 Defensive Structures===

====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 abbreviated as "LLT". They're good for covering mostly-blocked approaches to your base (like hills), as they can kill most light raiding forces.

A good way to defend against early to mid-game attacks is to build 3 LLTs in a loose cluster at the top of any hills or in choke points. Then build a couple of radar towers behind them to help spot enemies.

Throughout any game, even to the end, LLTs should be built in key areas of your base. They will come in handy in case an enemy slips through your outer perimeter.

====Beamer/Heavy Light Laser Turret (HLLT)====

Designed as a more permanent defensive structure for highly valuable inner-base areas as well as mid-game frontline duty. Beamers shoot a constant beam (get it? eh? eh?) which causes steady damage. This makes it ideal for dealing with attacks from both heavier units like Hammers/Thuds or much lighter units like Fleas, where it can instantly move on to the next target when the first one is destroyed, rather than waiting for a lengthy cool-down period. These also have a slightly longer range than vanilla LLTs.

The HLLT, on the other hand, is pretty much just a beefed up LLT. It has two turrets, allowing it to target two enemies simultaneously or concentrate on a single one. They have more than their fair share of hit points.

====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.

====Packo/SAM Anti-air Turret====

These are much more durable than standard missile towers and fire homing missiles quite rapidly. They are good at taking out large number of lighter planes quickly, making them a very effective fighter swarm counter. They will struggle to kill level 2 gunships and bombers unless used in large numbers, making flak cannons and level 2 missile towers a better choice against these units. The Packo can retract into a shielded underground state, largely protecting it from ground attack. The SAM just has more hitpoints.

====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.''

Besides Mercury/Screamer towers, these are the longest-range anti-air units you can build.

These buildings do extra damage against bombers.

====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 trajectory", which causes it to fire more damaging but highly inaccurate shells with a large area of effect in a high arc, or "Low trajectory", 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.

These do extra damage against amphibious units, and are therefore a good choice for defending a shoreline against a "fully submerged" opponent.

====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.

====Dargon's Claw/Dragon's Maw====

These are stealthy defensive structures (really stationary units) that can disguise themselves as Dragon's Teeth. When disguised, they can take significant amounts of damage, just like any "pop-up" weapon. If an enemy wanders into range, they'll reveal themselves and attack with a short-ranged lightning cannon (Arm) or flamethrower (Core). When destroyed, they leave behind ordinary Dragon's Teeth.

===Level 2 Defensive Structures===

====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 or nuclear weapons.

====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 totally under water, and so can only be targeted 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 must be constructed before launch) all the way across any map, each of which can destroy a substantial portion of an enemy base. Very few things (such as specialized structures that are in an armoured state by default) can survive a nuke blast, though the missiles can be easily intercepted by Protectors/Fortitudes.

====Juno====

The Juno is a much more limited ballistic 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 sheild that stops all manner of plasma weapons, gauss shells, and EMG fire, but it 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.

The sheild needs to be charged to stop shells, you can determine it's level of charge by how the sheild appears, a barely visible sheild has no or very low charge whereas a bright white sheild is fully charged. The sheild consumes energy to charge.

The sheild can hold it's onw for quite a while against VLRPCs, bur RFVLRPCS can bring them down near instantly.

====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. A cluster of these structures packed into a chokepoint or lined up in front of some Annihilators/Doomsday Machines can do quite a lot of damage. When not in use, they fold away into a concrete bunker, making them effectively immune to long-range artillery and even nuke strikes.

===Arm Level 2 Defensive Structures===

====Detonator====

The Detonator fires ballistic EMP missiles that paralyze units caught inside the blast. Their projectiles cannot be intercepted, making them very good at "preparing" enemy defensive structures or units for an attack. Like nukes and anti-nukes, the Detonator must build each shot before it can be used.

===Core Level 2 Defensive Structures===

====Inferno====

Wide-arc flamethrower. Good against swarms or for use in conjunction with several other Infernos against bigger units, or simply as one more extra support turret in a massively fortified front line.

====Catalyst====

A short-range tactical nuke launcher. The Catalyst's ballistic missile cannot be intercepted by anti-nukes but do significantly less damage than full-sized nukes. This makes them poor at destroying bases, but very good at softening up an enemy defensive line before an attack.

==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 KBots===

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====

Slightly 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 have a long range but 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 are shorter-ranged than Rocko/Storm rockets, but can 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 KBots===

====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 KBots===

The Core has no unique Level 1 KBots.

===Common Lvl 2 KBots===

====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-conceived 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 reanimated corpses of the enemy's attack force into your service to supplement 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 useful for getting past an enemy's defences.

===Arm Lvl 2 KBots===

====Fido====

A very average level 2 KBot. Weaker than a [[#Zeus|Zeus]] or [[#Maverick|Maverick]] but faster and cheaper. Versatile but not particularly good at any one thing. The Fido has two fire modes, which can be toggled by switching its "Active State" between "On" and "Off". The default uses a long-range, slow-firing direct-fire gauss cannon. It's fairly accurate but relatively low-damage. The "Ballistic Cannon" mode fires a less-accurate shell that travels in a higher, ballistic arc, allowing it to fire over other units, Dragon's Teeth, and hills.

====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. Average durability and speed for an L2 unit, but capable of doing impressive damage. It destroys L1 units and light defences with ease. The Maverick also auto-repairs in combat and has a longer visual range than most units, making one or two good "spotters" for a unit of other KBots.

====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, provided you have something to soak up enemy fire while the Sharpshooters do their work.

====Recluse====

A spider KBot that can climb up almost anything. Can cause nightmares for unprepared opponents 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.

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. Even without it's wall climbing ability to contend with it's paralyser makes it a deadly threat mixed in with other units.

====Scarab====

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.

===Core Lvl 2 KBots===

====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.

====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. Longer weapon range and more power, as well as a much faster fire rate. 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. Good at countering light Level 3 KBots. Like the Can, it has a combat auto-repair.

====Morty====

A support KBot with a very big gun. Has a long range and fires fast, 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 torpedoes 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 or Raiders near the front lines to reinforce your assault force can be very effective!

====Dominator====

Another artillery support KBot, the Dominator fires vertically-launched rockets. These are only slightly longer-ranged 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, but it can cloak too. Combined with radar jamming, a Skuttle can blast an impressive hole in even the toughest defences.

====Leejen====

A light and fast but totally unarmed scout KBot. Cheap unit, good for scouting ahead of a force for things like stealth units, mines, and enemy defences. Has a very short-ranged radar for spotting cloaked units, etc.

===Common Lvl 3 KBots===

====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 Annihilators/Doomsday Machines, 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, or a few Sumos, though it can outrun the Sumos.

====Marauder====

A medium amphibious assault unit. Very fast moving on land, and can be 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 bypass enemy defences.

====Aegis====

A mobile EMP ballistic missile 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 KBots===

====Krogoth====

An [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/wiki/Uberweapon Uberweapon]. Costs absurd amounts of resources. Slightly more powerful and tougher than the Orcone, and features a shotgun-style blaster which is ideal for concentrated fire on a single heavy target or spread fire over a swarm of lesser units.

====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 vulnerable 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. Juggernauts have a lot of hit points, so they can also be used as a sort of "rolling front line". Should ideally have a group of support construction units for when its job is done and it's lost a lot of health.

====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. In groups of three or more, these can tear apart an enemy base in as little as 60 seconds. They should be guarded well by units such as Sumos, Cans, and Karganeths.

==Vehicles==

Vehicles use wheels or tracks to move. They're generaly fast, 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 Vehicles===

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 equivalent 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.

====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 equivalent 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 fair 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 (to their peril).

===Arm Lvl 1 Vehicles===

====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 Vehicles===

====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 Vehicles===

====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 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. They are slower than other forms of mobile artillery but tougher, making them good at assaulting enemy defensive structures.

====Triton/Croc====

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. The usual limitations of amphibious units apply.

====Bulldog/Reaper====

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

===Arm Lvl 2 Vehicles===

====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, especially once L3 units start rolling out. 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 and Zeus. These can be used to construct front-line reinforcements or even, with the help of jammers, construct an entire attack force for use against an unwary opponent.

===Core Lvl 2 Vehicles===

====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. While expensive, a force of goliaths can do very impressive damage and can be very difficult to stop, especially since it auto-repairs even during combat. 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.

====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. Its shots have a fairly large scatter, making them great at wiping out clustered defences or resource buildings.

====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.

==Aircraft==

Aircraft are airborne combat units. They're fast, can cross any terrain, but can take very little damage. Most aircraft are specialized, and designed for a specific task. Against units not built specifically to counter them, aircraft are very effective. Against anti-air units, they are at a significant disadvantage. Generally air units are not a base busting assault weapon, but anyone who assumes that they are useless will play at a significant disadvantage. Aircraft can be put to several uses, even in the late game:

Scouting: You've built a [[#Big Bertha/Intimidator|VLRPC]] (or ten). The sounds of each successive shell exploding in your enemy's base is slowly ratcheting up the pressure. But how do you know whether the pride of your army is destroying important enemy buildings, or killing peewees and solar collectors? Build some airplanes and have a look. You can then aim your Big Bertha at a worthy target. If your enemies build LRPCs, but only one player builds planes, guess who will find and destroy the opposing LRPCs first?

A few light aircraft can also be a great investment ahead of a ground attack. You can spot holes in the defence to aim for or unexpected resistance to retreat from before taking losses. They can provide line of sight for long range artillery to start pounding opposing defences. And what is that blob of units coming towards you on the radar? A plane can tell you if its 20 peewees or 20 goliaths. Any empty space on the map? Send a plane to scout at random intervals; you might find and prevent an opponent preparing a nasty surprise under cover of a radar jammer.

In general terms, scout aircraft are invaluable, as they're a very reliable mechanism for gathering precise information about the battlefield, even through heavy radar jamming and enemy fire.

Overwhelming: Focus efforts on building a large devestating force of bombers or gunships. With enough effort or against an unsuspecting victim, you may create a large enough air attack to devestate a base with insufficient anti-air defence. If your opponent ''does'' build enough anti-air defences, the setback to your economy from this effort will be serious.

Defence: An often overlooked aspect of aircraft is their use for base defence. They have the advantage of being able to intercept an attack from any direction quickly. If the attack force does not include a significant anti air componenent, your planes can attack while taking very little damage in return. [[#Hawk/Vamp|Hawks/Vamps]] are particularly good at this, and while they're unlikely to do fatal damage to ground units, they're excellent at intercepting and destroying enemy airstrikes. Level 2 bombers and gunships can provide a more adiquate dfence against ground assaults. A few Arm Stilletos, for instance, can provide an effective defence against nearly any attack.

Strategic strikes: Sometimes your opponent has a key building you badly want to destroy. It might be a [[#Retaliator/Silencer|nuclear silo]], [[#Protector/Fortitude|nuclear defence]], or a [[#Vulcan/Buzzsaw|rapid fire LRPC]]. Perhaps a [[#Moho Geothermal Powerplant|moho geothermal]], or [[#Advanced Fusion Reactor|advanced fusion]] that could take half the base with it if you can kill it. Or a [[#Commander|Commander]]. A determined bombing assault can often do the trick. Air has an unequaled ability to rapidly move and concentrate force to attack a key location. Just make sure the target is worth the effort, as in most games the planes that will get destroyed by anti-air in such a strike will represent a significant investment of resources. You'll need to use ground forces to capitalize on the strike.

All aircraft have a limited-range sonar, allowing them to see submerged units immediately under them. Aircraft generally cost larger amounts of energy, and lower amounts of metal when compared with other units. This can energy stall an unprepared player who tries to build an air force too early in the game. Aircraft also take a long time to build. Building an Air Factory as your first factory is a high-risk move guaranteed to slow down economic expansion drastrically.

===Common Lvl 1 Aircraft===

====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. Carries flares to reduce the effectiveness of guided AA weapons. They're best used as scouts, to spot targets for long-range artillery or attack forces. As they're cheap, fast, airborne, carry radar, and have a good sight range, Peepers and Finks are among the best scouts in the game. It's almost always worth building an L1 Aircraft Plant even if you only use it for building these.

====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. Although they're not specifically designed for it, a group of 20-30 of these can be quickly and cheaply built to harass enemy units to great effect. Great against level 1 aircraft, and useful against level 2 aircraft if built in a large enough swarm. They are also extremely effective against gunships, as gunships do not typically have guided weapons. A large swarm can also be surprisingly effective against light ground units. However their weapons tend to fire infrequently at ground unless specifically ordered to do so.

An effective tactic can be to slowly assemble a group of these and then use them to raid your enemy's resources; from then on, he'll be forced to build extensive anti-air even if you don't plan on ever using air again. If your enemy is spending half his resources to defend against an attack that's not coming....

====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, but if you can find an opening in the enemies anti aircraft defences these could drop in a few units that would spell certian defeat.

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 Aircraft===

====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 damage, 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 vulnerable to flak.

As with all gunships, banshees take slightly (~20%) reduced damage from missiles compared to other types of aircraft.

===Core Lvl 1 Aircraft===

====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 paralysing serious threats. It can hover, allowing it to attack slow-moving or stationary ground units very effectively but making it vulnerable to flak.

Many Core players have gone on the record to say that the only reason they like Core so much is the Bladewing. With its ability to temporarily remove any one unit from a fight, you can effectively take the wind out of your enemy's sails if that one unit is, for instance, a Bantha.

Be aware that superweapons and Commanders are nigh-invulnerable to paralyzer weapons. Concentrated fire may temporarily stun them, but they'll be back in action practically the instant you stop firing.

===Common Lvl 2 Aircraft===

====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. Before the enemy has significant flak defences, Brawlers and Rapiers are viable for assaults. After that point, they're best used to raid areas of the enemy base lacking flak for whatever reason, or harass assault forces that have insufficient AA cover. These are also fairly supicable to fighters, especialy when traveling to or from a target.

====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, regardless of what it is. 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.

As advanced missile towers and flak get built, the ability of Phoenixes and Hurricanes to hit targets anywhere in a base diminishes. They remain useful for striking targets near the edge, and can be good for softening up a defence line or breaking a hole in it before an attack, but typically need to withdraw (or will be destroyed) after one or two passes.

Because of their bomb scattering attribute, a group of even 5+ Phoenix or Hurricanes can be used to quickly massacre even a moderately fast-moving attack group if it isn't protected by a strong anti-air presence.

====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, gunships, and level 1 fighters. Not so good offensively, though, as they suck at attacking ground targets. They're good at intercepting enemy airstrikes and providing AA defence for the skies over your base or contested territory.

====Eagle/Vulture====

A more sophisticated recon plane. Has a longer radar range and carries a real sonar. Information about your enemy's activities is vital for both attack and defence, and the Eagle/Vulture can tell you a lot. Since they're more expensive than the Peeper/Fink, they're less expendable, making them less useful for quick scouting once AA is deployed. Carry flares to improve their survivability against guided missiles.

===Arm Lvl 2 Aircraft===

====Blade====

A gunship with even more armor and an even bigger weapon. They're tough and reasonably fast, making them good support for your assault forces once the enemy deploys flak cannons and Mercuries/Screamers. Hawks/Vamps and Freedom Fighters/Avengers still work well against them.

Because of a Blade's heavy armor, they take only 50% damage from flak guns, in addition to the standard 20% damage reduction for missile attacks on gunships. In short, they're Arm's ultimate high-flying badasses.

====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 Hawks/Vamps and Freedom Fighters/Avengers, 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, or greater amounts of smaller units. Unlike level 1 transports these can be used in an assault role providiing enemy AA isnt incredibly strong. The ability to drop several units into an enemy base is not to be underestimated.

====Stilleto====

A stealthy bomber whose weapon paralyzes targets caught in the blast. Good for softening up a defence line or assault force. These units are highly resiliant against anti-aircraft fire, with a relativley high amount of hitpoints, radar invisibility, and flares to deflect missiles. On the offensive it can be used to disable enemy AA or ground turrets, allowing you to move in a more damaging force. On defence it can disable large amounts of small units, or even the large mechs which have no defence against such aircraft.

===Core Lvl 2 Aircraft===

====Seahook====

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

====Krow====

Flying instagib. With its three heavy, rapid-firing lasers, it will kill anything that isn't a group of 5+ flak guns or a fighter swarm.

==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 Ships and Subs===

====Skeeter/Searcher====

The naval equivalent 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. They are also useful as anti-air for early attacks, before you can get/need the standard AA ships ([[#Archer/Shredder|Archer/Shredder]]).

====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 Ships and Subs===

====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 much more accurate heavy laser. These ships can dominate enemy fleets but are expensive and very weak against submarines and aircraft. 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 sea-borne 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.

==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 Hovercraft===

====Mausser/Navarone====

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

====Swatter/Slinger====

An anti-air 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. Neither can stand up to proper tanks or ships, but they're very good for quick attacks over small bodies of water.

====Wombat/Nixer====

A hovercraft with a vertically-launched artillery rocket. Very similar to the Merl/Diplomat, but with a shorter range, faster fire rate, and lower 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.) These effectively form the tier 3 of aircraft. While the ranks of seaplanes do not include units like Krows or Krogoths, they are far more cost effective, more powerful, generally nimbler, faster, and so on. Seaplane factories can only be built on the water by Advanced Construction Submarines and Aircraft

===Common Lvl 1 Seaplanes===

====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. Carries flares to help protect it against guided missiles.

====Tornado/Voodoo====

Basic fighter seaplane. Similar to the Hawk/Vamp, but not stealthy and with a less powerful air-to-air missile. Although they will generally lose to a Hawk/Vamp in a head-to-head fight, they are far less expensive and faster to build.

====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. About the same general power level as a Brawler/Rapier, but slightly more cost-effective, quick, and nimble. 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/Maelstrom====

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

2006-07-11T17:23:23Z

Egarwaen: /* Consul */ Adjusted to match new Fido stats.

This is the Practical AA Guide. It has information such as ways to best use units, and things to avoid. To answer more technical questions, such as exactly how much damage per second a weapon is capable of, or precise build costs of a particular unit, you may want to visit the [http://ta-aa.sourceforge.net/modweb Technical AA Guide].

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 in the first few minutes of the game, and destroys any reclaimable wreckage. His laser should be more than enough against small groups of raiders. Whatever you do, '''do not''' D-Gun your own structures or units unless it's that or lose the game.

The Commander has a small but constant auto-repair, which makes him better able to handle fire from raiders and sporadic artillery hits.

==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 Resource Structures===

====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 Collector====

More expensive than a [[#Wind Generator|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 Metal Maker consumes 100e and produces 1m. When building metal makers, always use the [[Metal Maker AI]].

There are also floating versions of this structure, these ae somhat more efficient, consuming 90e and producing 1m.

====Advanced Solar Collector====

The Advanced Solar Generator produces about four times as much energy (75 per tick) as a regular [[#Solar Collector|Solar Collector]], but costs correspondingly more metal and significantly more energy. Their advantage over regular Solar Collectors is that they have a smaller footprint (4x4 instead of 5x5). They cannot close into a more armored form, but they do have more health.

====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.

Geothermal powerplants, much like the level 2 Moho Geothermal Powerplants, have a nasty explosion. Be careful what you build around them since they will be a prime target of opportunity.

Absolute Annihilation gives Arm increased output from geothermal powerplants.

====Energy/Metal Storage====

As the name indicates, these structures provide you with additional energy and metal storage. Since all resource structures in AA come with some 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 usually be using up your metal as fast as you can without stalling. ''However'' if you're reclaiming a lot of things, especially any [[#Commander|Commander]] wreckage laying about, you'll need these in order to make sure you receive all your metal.

===Arm Level 1 Resource Structures===

====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 necessary. Watch out for this when killing them if the enemy has some units nearby, as paralyzed units are easy prey.

===Core Level 1 Resource Structures===

====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 Resource Structures===

====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. Unlike Moho Mines in [[XTA]], they only cost 25 energy to operate. 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.

Absolute Annihilation gives Core slightly better energy output on their fusion plants.

====Moho Metal Maker====

A bigger, better metal maker. Takes much more energy to operate, but produces much more metal, and does so more efficently. 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, wich is the most efficent energy to metal convertor of all.

====Metal Generator====

A structure that provides a steady input of 1m at no cost other than initial construction. 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.

Absolute Annihilation gives Arm a hefty boost to their output from Moho Geothermal Powerplants.

====Advanced Fusion Reactor====

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

Absolute Annihilation gives Core a hefty boost to their Advanced Fusion Reactor's energy output. However, this is somewhat offset by the greater cost a Core player must pay if he or she wants to cloak their reactor.

===Arm Level 2 Resource Structures===

====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 Resource Structures===

====Moho 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. Behemoths have the longest range of any structure except for LRPC/RFLRPCs.

==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. Units firing on radar dots can gain better accuracy if a player or one of his allies builds a radar targeting facility. 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 by either side. Yes, this means that you can't use radar to detect enemy units inside the area of effect of one of your jammers! 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.

In the late game, as more and more of the map gets covered by radar jammers, Dragon's Eyes become one of the most effective ways to keep track of your enemy's activities. They're virtually undectable once built and can't be fooled by radar jamming or stealth, though they still can't see cloaked units.

===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 [[#Bulldog|Bulldogs]] or [[#Goliath|Goliaths]], can drive over Dragon's Teeth, destroying them in the process.

Commanders and construction planes have a speed advantage in building these, as construction bots and vehicles do a small animation whenver they start or finish constructing something. This slows them down significantly on such cheap structures.

These can be used in lines to block an enemy advance. This is useful to prevent fast raiding units from simply rushing past your defences to attack key buildings in the back of your base. They can also be used in small lines or squares surrounding a defensive structure such as a [[#Sentinel/Gaat_Gun_Heavy_Laser_Tower|heavy laser tower]]. This can provide some protection from small units with direct fire weapons such as the [[#Flash/Instigator|Flash tank]].

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

One interesting use of Dragon's Teeth is terrain modification. DTs have a substantially higher "slope tolerance" (the maximum slope they can be built on) than most structures. They can be reclaimed to recover much of the metal that went into their construction. This makes them excellent for "clearing terrain" for building other structures. Just build a single DT or a small block of them, reclaim them, and build on the now-flattened land! This is great for putting up LLTs on hills, but can also be used to place Guardians/Punishers in unexpected locations. (Tip from Felix the Cat)

===Level 1 Defensive Structures===

====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 abbreviated as "LLT". They're good for covering mostly-blocked approaches to your base (like hills), as they can kill most light raiding forces.

A good way to defend against early to mid-game attacks is to build 3 LLTs in a loose cluster at the top of any hills or in choke points. Then build a couple of radar towers behind them to help spot enemies.

Throughout any game, even to the end, LLTs should be built in key areas of your base. They will come in handy in case an enemy slips through your outer perimeter.

====Beamer/Heavy Light Laser Turret (HLLT)====

Designed as a more permanent defensive structure for highly valuable inner-base areas as well as mid-game frontline duty. Beamers shoot a constant beam (get it? eh? eh?) which causes steady damage. This makes it ideal for dealing with attacks from both heavier units like Hammers/Thuds or much lighter units like Fleas, where it can instantly move on to the next target when the first one is destroyed, rather than waiting for a lengthy cool-down period. These also have a slightly longer range than vanilla LLTs.

The HLLT, on the other hand, is pretty much just a beefed up LLT. It has two turrets, allowing it to target two enemies simultaneously or concentrate on a single one. They have more than their fair share of hit points.

====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.

====Packo/SAM Anti-air Turret====

These are much more durable than standard missile towers and fire homing missiles quite rapidly. They are good at taking out large number of lighter planes quickly, making them a very effective fighter swarm counter. They will struggle to kill level 2 gunships and bombers unless used in large numbers, making flak cannons and level 2 missile towers a better choice against these units. The Packo can retract into a shielded underground state, largely protecting it from ground attack. The SAM just has more hitpoints.

====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.''

Besides Mercury/Screamer towers, these are the longest-range anti-air units you can build.

These buildings do extra damage against bombers.

====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 trajectory", which causes it to fire more damaging but highly inaccurate shells with a large area of effect in a high arc, or "Low trajectory", 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.

These do extra damage against amphibious units, and are therefore a good choice for defending a shoreline against a "fully submerged" opponent.

====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.

====Dargon's Claw/Dragon's Maw====

These are stealthy defensive structures (really stationary units) that can disguise themselves as Dragon's Teeth. When disguised, they can take significant amounts of damage, just like any "pop-up" weapon. If an enemy wanders into range, they'll reveal themselves and attack with a short-ranged lightning cannon (Arm) or flamethrower (Core). When destroyed, they leave behind ordinary Dragon's Teeth.

===Level 2 Defensive Structures===

====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 or nuclear weapons.

====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 totally under water, and so can only be targeted 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 must be constructed before launch) all the way across any map, each of which can destroy a substantial portion of an enemy base. Very few things (such as specialized structures that are in an armoured state by default) can survive a nuke blast, though the missiles can be easily intercepted by Protectors/Fortitudes.

====Juno====

The Juno is a much more limited ballistic 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 sheild that stops all manner of plasma weapons, gauss shells, and EMG fire, but it 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.

The sheild needs to be charged to stop shells, you can determine it's level of charge by how the sheild appears, a barely visible sheild has no or very low charge whereas a bright white sheild is fully charged. The sheild consumes energy to charge.

The sheild can hold it's onw for quite a while against VLRPCs, bur RFVLRPCS can bring them down near instantly.

====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. A cluster of these structures packed into a chokepoint or lined up in front of some Annihilators/Doomsday Machines can do quite a lot of damage. When not in use, they fold away into a concrete bunker, making them effectively immune to long-range artillery and even nuke strikes.

===Arm Level 2 Defensive Structures===

====Detonator====

The Detonator fires ballistic EMP missiles that paralyze units caught inside the blast. Their projectiles cannot be intercepted, making them very good at "preparing" enemy defensive structures or units for an attack. Like nukes and anti-nukes, the Detonator must build each shot before it can be used.

===Core Level 2 Defensive Structures===

====Inferno====

Wide-arc flamethrower. Good against swarms or for use in conjunction with several other Infernos against bigger units, or simply as one more extra support turret in a massively fortified front line.

====Catalyst====

A short-range tactical nuke launcher. The Catalyst's ballistic missile cannot be intercepted by anti-nukes but do significantly less damage than full-sized nukes. This makes them poor at destroying bases, but very good at softening up an enemy defensive line before an attack.

==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 KBots===

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====

Slightly 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 have a long range but 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 are shorter-ranged than Rocko/Storm rockets, but can 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 KBots===

====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 KBots===

The Core has no unique Level 1 KBots.

===Common Lvl 2 KBots===

====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-conceived 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 reanimated corpses of the enemy's attack force into your service to supplement 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 useful for getting past an enemy's defences.

===Arm Lvl 2 KBots===

====Fido====

A very average level 2 KBot. Weaker than a [[#Zeus|Zeus]] or [[#Maverick|Maverick]] but faster and cheaper. Versatile but not particularly good at any one thing. The Fido has two fire modes, which can be toggled by switching its "Active State" between "On" and "Off". The default uses a long-range, slow-firing direct-fire gauss cannon. It's fairly accurate but relatively low-damage. The "Ballistic Cannon" mode fires a less-accurate shell that travels in a higher, ballistic arc, allowing it to fire over other units, Dragon's Teeth, and hills.

====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. Average durability and speed for an L2 unit, but capable of doing impressive damage. It destroys L1 units and light defences with ease. The Maverick also auto-repairs in combat and has a longer visual range than most units, making one or two good "spotters" for a unit of other KBots.

====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 opponents 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.

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. Even without it's wall climbing ability to contend with it's paralyser makes it a deadly threat mixed in with other units.

====Scarab====

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.

===Core Lvl 2 KBots===

====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.

====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. Longer weapon range and more power, as well as a much faster fire rate. 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. Good at countering light Level 3 KBots. Like the Can, it has a combat auto-repair.

====Morty====

A support KBot with a very big gun. Has a long range and fires fast, 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 torpedoes 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 or Raiders near the front lines to reinforce your assault force can be very effective!

====Dominator====

Another artillery support KBot, the Dominator fires vertically-launched rockets. These are only slightly longer-ranged 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, but it can cloak too. Combined with radar jamming, a Skuttle can blast an impressive hole in even the toughest defences.

====Leejen====

A light and fast but totally unarmed scout KBot. Cheap unit, good for scouting ahead of a force for things like stealth units, mines, and enemy defences. Has a very short-ranged radar for spotting cloaked units, etc.

===Common Lvl 3 KBots===

====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 Annihilators/Doomsday Machines, 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, or a few Sumos, though it can outrun the Sumos.

====Marauder====

A medium amphibious assault unit. Very fast moving on land, and can be 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 bypass enemy defences.

====Aegis====

A mobile EMP ballistic missile 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 KBots===

====Krogoth====

An [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/wiki/Uberweapon Uberweapon]. Costs absurd amounts of resources. Slightly more powerful and tougher than the Orcone, and features a shotgun-style blaster which is ideal for concentrated fire on a single heavy target or spread fire over a swarm of lesser units.

====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 vulnerable 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. Juggernauts have a lot of hit points, so they can also be used as a sort of "rolling front line". Should ideally have a group of support construction units for when its job is done and it's lost a lot of health.

====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. In groups of three or more, these can tear apart an enemy base in as little as 60 seconds. They should be guarded well by units such as Sumos, Cans, and Karganeths.

==Vehicles==

Vehicles use wheels or tracks to move. They're generaly fast, 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 Vehicles===

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 equivalent 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.

====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 equivalent 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 fair 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 (to their peril).

===Arm Lvl 1 Vehicles===

====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 Vehicles===

====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 Vehicles===

====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 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. They are slower than other forms of mobile artillery but tougher, making them good at assaulting enemy defensive structures.

====Triton/Croc====

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. The usual limitations of amphibious units apply.

====Bulldog/Reaper====

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

===Arm Lvl 2 Vehicles===

====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, especially once L3 units start rolling out. 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 and Zeus. These can be used to construct front-line reinforcements or even, with the help of jammers, construct an entire attack force for use against an unwary opponent.

===Core Lvl 2 Vehicles===

====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. While expensive, a force of goliaths can do very impressive damage and can be very difficult to stop, especially since it auto-repairs even during combat. 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.

====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. Its shots have a fairly large scatter, making them great at wiping out clustered defences or resource buildings.

====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.

==Aircraft==

Aircraft are airborne combat units. They're fast, can cross any terrain, but can take very little damage. Most aircraft are specialized, and designed for a specific task. Against units not built specifically to counter them, aircraft are very effective. Against anti-air units, they are at a significant disadvantage. Generally air units are not a base busting assault weapon, but anyone who assumes that they are useless will play at a significant disadvantage. Aircraft can be put to several uses, even in the late game:

Scouting: You've built a [[#Big Bertha/Intimidator|VLRPC]] (or ten). The sounds of each successive shell exploding in your enemy's base is slowly ratcheting up the pressure. But how do you know whether the pride of your army is destroying important enemy buildings, or killing peewees and solar collectors? Build some airplanes and have a look. You can then aim your Big Bertha at a worthy target. If your enemies build LRPCs, but only one player builds planes, guess who will find and destroy the opposing LRPCs first?

A few light aircraft can also be a great investment ahead of a ground attack. You can spot holes in the defence to aim for or unexpected resistance to retreat from before taking losses. They can provide line of sight for long range artillery to start pounding opposing defences. And what is that blob of units coming towards you on the radar? A plane can tell you if its 20 peewees or 20 goliaths. Any empty space on the map? Send a plane to scout at random intervals; you might find and prevent an opponent preparing a nasty surprise under cover of a radar jammer.

In general terms, scout aircraft are invaluable, as they're a very reliable mechanism for gathering precise information about the battlefield, even through heavy radar jamming and enemy fire.

Overwhelming: Focus efforts on building a large devestating force of bombers or gunships. With enough effort or against an unsuspecting victim, you may create a large enough air attack to devestate a base with insufficient anti-air defence. If your opponent ''does'' build enough anti-air defences, the setback to your economy from this effort will be serious.

Defence: An often overlooked aspect of aircraft is their use for base defence. They have the advantage of being able to intercept an attack from any direction quickly. If the attack force does not include a significant anti air componenent, your planes can attack while taking very little damage in return. [[#Hawk/Vamp|Hawks/Vamps]] are particularly good at this, and while they're unlikely to do fatal damage to ground units, they're excellent at intercepting and destroying enemy airstrikes. Level 2 bombers and gunships can provide a more adiquate dfence against ground assaults. A few Arm Stilletos, for instance, can provide an effective defence against nearly any attack.

Strategic strikes: Sometimes your opponent has a key building you badly want to destroy. It might be a [[#Retaliator/Silencer|nuclear silo]], [[#Protector/Fortitude|nuclear defence]], or a [[#Vulcan/Buzzsaw|rapid fire LRPC]]. Perhaps a [[#Moho Geothermal Powerplant|moho geothermal]], or [[#Advanced Fusion Reactor|advanced fusion]] that could take half the base with it if you can kill it. Or a [[#Commander|Commander]]. A determined bombing assault can often do the trick. Air has an unequaled ability to rapidly move and concentrate force to attack a key location. Just make sure the target is worth the effort, as in most games the planes that will get destroyed by anti-air in such a strike will represent a significant investment of resources. You'll need to use ground forces to capitalize on the strike.

All aircraft have a limited-range sonar, allowing them to see submerged units immediately under them. Aircraft generally cost larger amounts of energy, and lower amounts of metal when compared with other units. This can energy stall an unprepared player who tries to build an air force too early in the game. Aircraft also take a long time to build. Building an Air Factory as your first factory is a high-risk move guaranteed to slow down economic expansion drastrically.

===Common Lvl 1 Aircraft===

====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. Carries flares to reduce the effectiveness of guided AA weapons. They're best used as scouts, to spot targets for long-range artillery or attack forces. As they're cheap, fast, airborne, carry radar, and have a good sight range, Peepers and Finks are among the best scouts in the game. It's almost always worth building an L1 Aircraft Plant even if you only use it for building these.

====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. Although they're not specifically designed for it, a group of 20-30 of these can be quickly and cheaply built to harass enemy units to great effect. Great against level 1 aircraft, and useful against level 2 aircraft if built in a large enough swarm. They are also extremely effective against gunships, as gunships do not typically have guided weapons. A large swarm can also be surprisingly effective against light ground units. However their weapons tend to fire infrequently at ground unless specifically ordered to do so.

An effective tactic can be to slowly assemble a group of these and then use them to raid your enemy's resources; from then on, he'll be forced to build extensive anti-air even if you don't plan on ever using air again. If your enemy is spending half his resources to defend against an attack that's not coming....

====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, but if you can find an opening in the enemies anti aircraft defences these could drop in a few units that would spell certian defeat.

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 Aircraft===

====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 damage, 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 vulnerable to flak.

As with all gunships, banshees take slightly (~20%) reduced damage from missiles compared to other types of aircraft.

===Core Lvl 1 Aircraft===

====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 paralysing serious threats. It can hover, allowing it to attack slow-moving or stationary ground units very effectively but making it vulnerable to flak.

Many Core players have gone on the record to say that the only reason they like Core so much is the Bladewing. With its ability to temporarily remove any one unit from a fight, you can effectively take the wind out of your enemy's sails if that one unit is, for instance, a Bantha.

Be aware that superweapons and Commanders are nigh-invulnerable to paralyzer weapons. Concentrated fire may temporarily stun them, but they'll be back in action practically the instant you stop firing.

===Common Lvl 2 Aircraft===

====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. Before the enemy has significant flak defences, Brawlers and Rapiers are viable for assaults. After that point, they're best used to raid areas of the enemy base lacking flak for whatever reason, or harass assault forces that have insufficient AA cover. These are also fairly supicable to fighters, especialy when traveling to or from a target.

====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, regardless of what it is. 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.

As advanced missile towers and flak get built, the ability of Phoenixes and Hurricanes to hit targets anywhere in a base diminishes. They remain useful for striking targets near the edge, and can be good for softening up a defence line or breaking a hole in it before an attack, but typically need to withdraw (or will be destroyed) after one or two passes.

Because of their bomb scattering attribute, a group of even 5+ Phoenix or Hurricanes can be used to quickly massacre even a moderately fast-moving attack group if it isn't protected by a strong anti-air presence.

====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, gunships, and level 1 fighters. Not so good offensively, though, as they suck at attacking ground targets. They're good at intercepting enemy airstrikes and providing AA defence for the skies over your base or contested territory.

====Eagle/Vulture====

A more sophisticated recon plane. Has a longer radar range and carries a real sonar. Information about your enemy's activities is vital for both attack and defence, and the Eagle/Vulture can tell you a lot. Since they're more expensive than the Peeper/Fink, they're less expendable, making them less useful for quick scouting once AA is deployed. Carry flares to improve their survivability against guided missiles.

===Arm Lvl 2 Aircraft===

====Blade====

A gunship with even more armor and an even bigger weapon. They're tough and reasonably fast, making them good support for your assault forces once the enemy deploys flak cannons and Mercuries/Screamers. Hawks/Vamps and Freedom Fighters/Avengers still work well against them.

Because of a Blade's heavy armor, they take only 50% damage from flak guns, in addition to the standard 20% damage reduction for missile attacks on gunships. In short, they're Arm's ultimate high-flying badasses.

====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 Hawks/Vamps and Freedom Fighters/Avengers, 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, or greater amounts of smaller units. Unlike level 1 transports these can be used in an assault role providiing enemy AA isnt incredibly strong. The ability to drop several units into an enemy base is not to be underestimated.

====Stilleto====

A stealthy bomber whose weapon paralyzes targets caught in the blast. Good for softening up a defence line or assault force. These units are highly resiliant against anti-aircraft fire, with a relativley high amount of hitpoints, radar invisibility, and flares to deflect missiles. On the offensive it can be used to disable enemy AA or ground turrets, allowing you to move in a more damaging force. On defence it can disable large amounts of small units, or even the large mechs which have no defence against such aircraft.

===Core Lvl 2 Aircraft===

====Seahook====

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

====Krow====

Flying instagib. With its three heavy, rapid-firing lasers, it will kill anything that isn't a group of 5+ flak guns or a fighter swarm.

==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 Ships and Subs===

====Skeeter/Searcher====

The naval equivalent 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. They are also useful as anti-air for early attacks, before you can get/need the standard AA ships ([[#Archer/Shredder|Archer/Shredder]]).

====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 Ships and Subs===

====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 much more accurate heavy laser. These ships can dominate enemy fleets but are expensive and very weak against submarines and aircraft. 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 sea-borne 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.

==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 Hovercraft===

====Mausser/Navarone====

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

====Swatter/Slinger====

An anti-air 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. Neither can stand up to proper tanks or ships, but they're very good for quick attacks over small bodies of water.

====Wombat/Nixer====

A hovercraft with a vertically-launched artillery rocket. Very similar to the Merl/Diplomat, but with a shorter range, faster fire rate, and lower 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.) These effectively form the tier 3 of aircraft. While the ranks of seaplanes do not include units like Krows or Krogoths, they are far more cost effective, more powerful, generally nimbler, faster, and so on. Seaplane factories can only be built on the water by Advanced Construction Submarines and Aircraft

===Common Lvl 1 Seaplanes===

====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. Carries flares to help protect it against guided missiles.

====Tornado/Voodoo====

Basic fighter seaplane. Similar to the Hawk/Vamp, but not stealthy and with a less powerful air-to-air missile. Although they will generally lose to a Hawk/Vamp in a head-to-head fight, they are far less expensive and faster to build.

====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. About the same general power level as a Brawler/Rapier, but slightly more cost-effective, quick, and nimble. 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/Maelstrom====

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

2006-07-11T17:22:31Z

Egarwaen: /* Penetrator */ Removed reference to Demolisher.

This is the Practical AA Guide. It has information such as ways to best use units, and things to avoid. To answer more technical questions, such as exactly how much damage per second a weapon is capable of, or precise build costs of a particular unit, you may want to visit the [http://ta-aa.sourceforge.net/modweb Technical AA Guide].

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 in the first few minutes of the game, and destroys any reclaimable wreckage. His laser should be more than enough against small groups of raiders. Whatever you do, '''do not''' D-Gun your own structures or units unless it's that or lose the game.

The Commander has a small but constant auto-repair, which makes him better able to handle fire from raiders and sporadic artillery hits.

==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 Resource Structures===

====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 Collector====

More expensive than a [[#Wind Generator|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 Metal Maker consumes 100e and produces 1m. When building metal makers, always use the [[Metal Maker AI]].

There are also floating versions of this structure, these ae somhat more efficient, consuming 90e and producing 1m.

====Advanced Solar Collector====

The Advanced Solar Generator produces about four times as much energy (75 per tick) as a regular [[#Solar Collector|Solar Collector]], but costs correspondingly more metal and significantly more energy. Their advantage over regular Solar Collectors is that they have a smaller footprint (4x4 instead of 5x5). They cannot close into a more armored form, but they do have more health.

====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.

Geothermal powerplants, much like the level 2 Moho Geothermal Powerplants, have a nasty explosion. Be careful what you build around them since they will be a prime target of opportunity.

Absolute Annihilation gives Arm increased output from geothermal powerplants.

====Energy/Metal Storage====

As the name indicates, these structures provide you with additional energy and metal storage. Since all resource structures in AA come with some 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 usually be using up your metal as fast as you can without stalling. ''However'' if you're reclaiming a lot of things, especially any [[#Commander|Commander]] wreckage laying about, you'll need these in order to make sure you receive all your metal.

===Arm Level 1 Resource Structures===

====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 necessary. Watch out for this when killing them if the enemy has some units nearby, as paralyzed units are easy prey.

===Core Level 1 Resource Structures===

====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 Resource Structures===

====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. Unlike Moho Mines in [[XTA]], they only cost 25 energy to operate. 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.

Absolute Annihilation gives Core slightly better energy output on their fusion plants.

====Moho Metal Maker====

A bigger, better metal maker. Takes much more energy to operate, but produces much more metal, and does so more efficently. 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, wich is the most efficent energy to metal convertor of all.

====Metal Generator====

A structure that provides a steady input of 1m at no cost other than initial construction. 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.

Absolute Annihilation gives Arm a hefty boost to their output from Moho Geothermal Powerplants.

====Advanced Fusion Reactor====

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

Absolute Annihilation gives Core a hefty boost to their Advanced Fusion Reactor's energy output. However, this is somewhat offset by the greater cost a Core player must pay if he or she wants to cloak their reactor.

===Arm Level 2 Resource Structures===

====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 Resource Structures===

====Moho 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. Behemoths have the longest range of any structure except for LRPC/RFLRPCs.

==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. Units firing on radar dots can gain better accuracy if a player or one of his allies builds a radar targeting facility. 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 by either side. Yes, this means that you can't use radar to detect enemy units inside the area of effect of one of your jammers! 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.

In the late game, as more and more of the map gets covered by radar jammers, Dragon's Eyes become one of the most effective ways to keep track of your enemy's activities. They're virtually undectable once built and can't be fooled by radar jamming or stealth, though they still can't see cloaked units.

===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 [[#Bulldog|Bulldogs]] or [[#Goliath|Goliaths]], can drive over Dragon's Teeth, destroying them in the process.

Commanders and construction planes have a speed advantage in building these, as construction bots and vehicles do a small animation whenver they start or finish constructing something. This slows them down significantly on such cheap structures.

These can be used in lines to block an enemy advance. This is useful to prevent fast raiding units from simply rushing past your defences to attack key buildings in the back of your base. They can also be used in small lines or squares surrounding a defensive structure such as a [[#Sentinel/Gaat_Gun_Heavy_Laser_Tower|heavy laser tower]]. This can provide some protection from small units with direct fire weapons such as the [[#Flash/Instigator|Flash tank]].

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

One interesting use of Dragon's Teeth is terrain modification. DTs have a substantially higher "slope tolerance" (the maximum slope they can be built on) than most structures. They can be reclaimed to recover much of the metal that went into their construction. This makes them excellent for "clearing terrain" for building other structures. Just build a single DT or a small block of them, reclaim them, and build on the now-flattened land! This is great for putting up LLTs on hills, but can also be used to place Guardians/Punishers in unexpected locations. (Tip from Felix the Cat)

===Level 1 Defensive Structures===

====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 abbreviated as "LLT". They're good for covering mostly-blocked approaches to your base (like hills), as they can kill most light raiding forces.

A good way to defend against early to mid-game attacks is to build 3 LLTs in a loose cluster at the top of any hills or in choke points. Then build a couple of radar towers behind them to help spot enemies.

Throughout any game, even to the end, LLTs should be built in key areas of your base. They will come in handy in case an enemy slips through your outer perimeter.

====Beamer/Heavy Light Laser Turret (HLLT)====

Designed as a more permanent defensive structure for highly valuable inner-base areas as well as mid-game frontline duty. Beamers shoot a constant beam (get it? eh? eh?) which causes steady damage. This makes it ideal for dealing with attacks from both heavier units like Hammers/Thuds or much lighter units like Fleas, where it can instantly move on to the next target when the first one is destroyed, rather than waiting for a lengthy cool-down period. These also have a slightly longer range than vanilla LLTs.

The HLLT, on the other hand, is pretty much just a beefed up LLT. It has two turrets, allowing it to target two enemies simultaneously or concentrate on a single one. They have more than their fair share of hit points.

====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.

====Packo/SAM Anti-air Turret====

These are much more durable than standard missile towers and fire homing missiles quite rapidly. They are good at taking out large number of lighter planes quickly, making them a very effective fighter swarm counter. They will struggle to kill level 2 gunships and bombers unless used in large numbers, making flak cannons and level 2 missile towers a better choice against these units. The Packo can retract into a shielded underground state, largely protecting it from ground attack. The SAM just has more hitpoints.

====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.''

Besides Mercury/Screamer towers, these are the longest-range anti-air units you can build.

These buildings do extra damage against bombers.

====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 trajectory", which causes it to fire more damaging but highly inaccurate shells with a large area of effect in a high arc, or "Low trajectory", 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.

These do extra damage against amphibious units, and are therefore a good choice for defending a shoreline against a "fully submerged" opponent.

====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.

====Dargon's Claw/Dragon's Maw====

These are stealthy defensive structures (really stationary units) that can disguise themselves as Dragon's Teeth. When disguised, they can take significant amounts of damage, just like any "pop-up" weapon. If an enemy wanders into range, they'll reveal themselves and attack with a short-ranged lightning cannon (Arm) or flamethrower (Core). When destroyed, they leave behind ordinary Dragon's Teeth.

===Level 2 Defensive Structures===

====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 or nuclear weapons.

====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 totally under water, and so can only be targeted 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 must be constructed before launch) all the way across any map, each of which can destroy a substantial portion of an enemy base. Very few things (such as specialized structures that are in an armoured state by default) can survive a nuke blast, though the missiles can be easily intercepted by Protectors/Fortitudes.

====Juno====

The Juno is a much more limited ballistic 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 sheild that stops all manner of plasma weapons, gauss shells, and EMG fire, but it 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.

The sheild needs to be charged to stop shells, you can determine it's level of charge by how the sheild appears, a barely visible sheild has no or very low charge whereas a bright white sheild is fully charged. The sheild consumes energy to charge.

The sheild can hold it's onw for quite a while against VLRPCs, bur RFVLRPCS can bring them down near instantly.

====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. A cluster of these structures packed into a chokepoint or lined up in front of some Annihilators/Doomsday Machines can do quite a lot of damage. When not in use, they fold away into a concrete bunker, making them effectively immune to long-range artillery and even nuke strikes.

===Arm Level 2 Defensive Structures===

====Detonator====

The Detonator fires ballistic EMP missiles that paralyze units caught inside the blast. Their projectiles cannot be intercepted, making them very good at "preparing" enemy defensive structures or units for an attack. Like nukes and anti-nukes, the Detonator must build each shot before it can be used.

===Core Level 2 Defensive Structures===

====Inferno====

Wide-arc flamethrower. Good against swarms or for use in conjunction with several other Infernos against bigger units, or simply as one more extra support turret in a massively fortified front line.

====Catalyst====

A short-range tactical nuke launcher. The Catalyst's ballistic missile cannot be intercepted by anti-nukes but do significantly less damage than full-sized nukes. This makes them poor at destroying bases, but very good at softening up an enemy defensive line before an attack.

==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 KBots===

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====

Slightly 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 have a long range but 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 are shorter-ranged than Rocko/Storm rockets, but can 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 KBots===

====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 KBots===

The Core has no unique Level 1 KBots.

===Common Lvl 2 KBots===

====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-conceived 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 reanimated corpses of the enemy's attack force into your service to supplement 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 useful for getting past an enemy's defences.

===Arm Lvl 2 KBots===

====Fido====

A very average level 2 KBot. Weaker than a [[#Zeus|Zeus]] or [[#Maverick|Maverick]] but faster and cheaper. Versatile but not particularly good at any one thing. The Fido has two fire modes, which can be toggled by switching its "Active State" between "On" and "Off". The default uses a long-range, slow-firing direct-fire gauss cannon. It's fairly accurate but relatively low-damage. The "Ballistic Cannon" mode fires a less-accurate shell that travels in a higher, ballistic arc, allowing it to fire over other units, Dragon's Teeth, and hills.

====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. Average durability and speed for an L2 unit, but capable of doing impressive damage. It destroys L1 units and light defences with ease. The Maverick also auto-repairs in combat and has a longer visual range than most units, making one or two good "spotters" for a unit of other KBots.

====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 opponents 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.

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. Even without it's wall climbing ability to contend with it's paralyser makes it a deadly threat mixed in with other units.

====Scarab====

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.

===Core Lvl 2 KBots===

====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.

====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. Longer weapon range and more power, as well as a much faster fire rate. 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. Good at countering light Level 3 KBots. Like the Can, it has a combat auto-repair.

====Morty====

A support KBot with a very big gun. Has a long range and fires fast, 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 torpedoes 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 or Raiders near the front lines to reinforce your assault force can be very effective!

====Dominator====

Another artillery support KBot, the Dominator fires vertically-launched rockets. These are only slightly longer-ranged 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, but it can cloak too. Combined with radar jamming, a Skuttle can blast an impressive hole in even the toughest defences.

====Leejen====

A light and fast but totally unarmed scout KBot. Cheap unit, good for scouting ahead of a force for things like stealth units, mines, and enemy defences. Has a very short-ranged radar for spotting cloaked units, etc.

===Common Lvl 3 KBots===

====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 Annihilators/Doomsday Machines, 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, or a few Sumos, though it can outrun the Sumos.

====Marauder====

A medium amphibious assault unit. Very fast moving on land, and can be 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 bypass enemy defences.

====Aegis====

A mobile EMP ballistic missile 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 KBots===

====Krogoth====

An [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/wiki/Uberweapon Uberweapon]. Costs absurd amounts of resources. Slightly more powerful and tougher than the Orcone, and features a shotgun-style blaster which is ideal for concentrated fire on a single heavy target or spread fire over a swarm of lesser units.

====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 vulnerable 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. Juggernauts have a lot of hit points, so they can also be used as a sort of "rolling front line". Should ideally have a group of support construction units for when its job is done and it's lost a lot of health.

====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. In groups of three or more, these can tear apart an enemy base in as little as 60 seconds. They should be guarded well by units such as Sumos, Cans, and Karganeths.

==Vehicles==

Vehicles use wheels or tracks to move. They're generaly fast, 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 Vehicles===

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 equivalent 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.

====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 equivalent 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 fair 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 (to their peril).

===Arm Lvl 1 Vehicles===

====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 Vehicles===

====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 Vehicles===

====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 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. They are slower than other forms of mobile artillery but tougher, making them good at assaulting enemy defensive structures.

====Triton/Croc====

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. The usual limitations of amphibious units apply.

====Bulldog/Reaper====

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

===Arm Lvl 2 Vehicles===

====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, especially once L3 units start rolling out. 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.

===Core Lvl 2 Vehicles===

====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. While expensive, a force of goliaths can do very impressive damage and can be very difficult to stop, especially since it auto-repairs even during combat. 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.

====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. Its shots have a fairly large scatter, making them great at wiping out clustered defences or resource buildings.

====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.

==Aircraft==

Aircraft are airborne combat units. They're fast, can cross any terrain, but can take very little damage. Most aircraft are specialized, and designed for a specific task. Against units not built specifically to counter them, aircraft are very effective. Against anti-air units, they are at a significant disadvantage. Generally air units are not a base busting assault weapon, but anyone who assumes that they are useless will play at a significant disadvantage. Aircraft can be put to several uses, even in the late game:

Scouting: You've built a [[#Big Bertha/Intimidator|VLRPC]] (or ten). The sounds of each successive shell exploding in your enemy's base is slowly ratcheting up the pressure. But how do you know whether the pride of your army is destroying important enemy buildings, or killing peewees and solar collectors? Build some airplanes and have a look. You can then aim your Big Bertha at a worthy target. If your enemies build LRPCs, but only one player builds planes, guess who will find and destroy the opposing LRPCs first?

A few light aircraft can also be a great investment ahead of a ground attack. You can spot holes in the defence to aim for or unexpected resistance to retreat from before taking losses. They can provide line of sight for long range artillery to start pounding opposing defences. And what is that blob of units coming towards you on the radar? A plane can tell you if its 20 peewees or 20 goliaths. Any empty space on the map? Send a plane to scout at random intervals; you might find and prevent an opponent preparing a nasty surprise under cover of a radar jammer.

In general terms, scout aircraft are invaluable, as they're a very reliable mechanism for gathering precise information about the battlefield, even through heavy radar jamming and enemy fire.

Overwhelming: Focus efforts on building a large devestating force of bombers or gunships. With enough effort or against an unsuspecting victim, you may create a large enough air attack to devestate a base with insufficient anti-air defence. If your opponent ''does'' build enough anti-air defences, the setback to your economy from this effort will be serious.

Defence: An often overlooked aspect of aircraft is their use for base defence. They have the advantage of being able to intercept an attack from any direction quickly. If the attack force does not include a significant anti air componenent, your planes can attack while taking very little damage in return. [[#Hawk/Vamp|Hawks/Vamps]] are particularly good at this, and while they're unlikely to do fatal damage to ground units, they're excellent at intercepting and destroying enemy airstrikes. Level 2 bombers and gunships can provide a more adiquate dfence against ground assaults. A few Arm Stilletos, for instance, can provide an effective defence against nearly any attack.

Strategic strikes: Sometimes your opponent has a key building you badly want to destroy. It might be a [[#Retaliator/Silencer|nuclear silo]], [[#Protector/Fortitude|nuclear defence]], or a [[#Vulcan/Buzzsaw|rapid fire LRPC]]. Perhaps a [[#Moho Geothermal Powerplant|moho geothermal]], or [[#Advanced Fusion Reactor|advanced fusion]] that could take half the base with it if you can kill it. Or a [[#Commander|Commander]]. A determined bombing assault can often do the trick. Air has an unequaled ability to rapidly move and concentrate force to attack a key location. Just make sure the target is worth the effort, as in most games the planes that will get destroyed by anti-air in such a strike will represent a significant investment of resources. You'll need to use ground forces to capitalize on the strike.

All aircraft have a limited-range sonar, allowing them to see submerged units immediately under them. Aircraft generally cost larger amounts of energy, and lower amounts of metal when compared with other units. This can energy stall an unprepared player who tries to build an air force too early in the game. Aircraft also take a long time to build. Building an Air Factory as your first factory is a high-risk move guaranteed to slow down economic expansion drastrically.

===Common Lvl 1 Aircraft===

====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. Carries flares to reduce the effectiveness of guided AA weapons. They're best used as scouts, to spot targets for long-range artillery or attack forces. As they're cheap, fast, airborne, carry radar, and have a good sight range, Peepers and Finks are among the best scouts in the game. It's almost always worth building an L1 Aircraft Plant even if you only use it for building these.

====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. Although they're not specifically designed for it, a group of 20-30 of these can be quickly and cheaply built to harass enemy units to great effect. Great against level 1 aircraft, and useful against level 2 aircraft if built in a large enough swarm. They are also extremely effective against gunships, as gunships do not typically have guided weapons. A large swarm can also be surprisingly effective against light ground units. However their weapons tend to fire infrequently at ground unless specifically ordered to do so.

An effective tactic can be to slowly assemble a group of these and then use them to raid your enemy's resources; from then on, he'll be forced to build extensive anti-air even if you don't plan on ever using air again. If your enemy is spending half his resources to defend against an attack that's not coming....

====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, but if you can find an opening in the enemies anti aircraft defences these could drop in a few units that would spell certian defeat.

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 Aircraft===

====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 damage, 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 vulnerable to flak.

As with all gunships, banshees take slightly (~20%) reduced damage from missiles compared to other types of aircraft.

===Core Lvl 1 Aircraft===

====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 paralysing serious threats. It can hover, allowing it to attack slow-moving or stationary ground units very effectively but making it vulnerable to flak.

Many Core players have gone on the record to say that the only reason they like Core so much is the Bladewing. With its ability to temporarily remove any one unit from a fight, you can effectively take the wind out of your enemy's sails if that one unit is, for instance, a Bantha.

Be aware that superweapons and Commanders are nigh-invulnerable to paralyzer weapons. Concentrated fire may temporarily stun them, but they'll be back in action practically the instant you stop firing.

===Common Lvl 2 Aircraft===

====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. Before the enemy has significant flak defences, Brawlers and Rapiers are viable for assaults. After that point, they're best used to raid areas of the enemy base lacking flak for whatever reason, or harass assault forces that have insufficient AA cover. These are also fairly supicable to fighters, especialy when traveling to or from a target.

====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, regardless of what it is. 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.

As advanced missile towers and flak get built, the ability of Phoenixes and Hurricanes to hit targets anywhere in a base diminishes. They remain useful for striking targets near the edge, and can be good for softening up a defence line or breaking a hole in it before an attack, but typically need to withdraw (or will be destroyed) after one or two passes.

Because of their bomb scattering attribute, a group of even 5+ Phoenix or Hurricanes can be used to quickly massacre even a moderately fast-moving attack group if it isn't protected by a strong anti-air presence.

====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, gunships, and level 1 fighters. Not so good offensively, though, as they suck at attacking ground targets. They're good at intercepting enemy airstrikes and providing AA defence for the skies over your base or contested territory.

====Eagle/Vulture====

A more sophisticated recon plane. Has a longer radar range and carries a real sonar. Information about your enemy's activities is vital for both attack and defence, and the Eagle/Vulture can tell you a lot. Since they're more expensive than the Peeper/Fink, they're less expendable, making them less useful for quick scouting once AA is deployed. Carry flares to improve their survivability against guided missiles.

===Arm Lvl 2 Aircraft===

====Blade====

A gunship with even more armor and an even bigger weapon. They're tough and reasonably fast, making them good support for your assault forces once the enemy deploys flak cannons and Mercuries/Screamers. Hawks/Vamps and Freedom Fighters/Avengers still work well against them.

Because of a Blade's heavy armor, they take only 50% damage from flak guns, in addition to the standard 20% damage reduction for missile attacks on gunships. In short, they're Arm's ultimate high-flying badasses.

====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 Hawks/Vamps and Freedom Fighters/Avengers, 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, or greater amounts of smaller units. Unlike level 1 transports these can be used in an assault role providiing enemy AA isnt incredibly strong. The ability to drop several units into an enemy base is not to be underestimated.

====Stilleto====

A stealthy bomber whose weapon paralyzes targets caught in the blast. Good for softening up a defence line or assault force. These units are highly resiliant against anti-aircraft fire, with a relativley high amount of hitpoints, radar invisibility, and flares to deflect missiles. On the offensive it can be used to disable enemy AA or ground turrets, allowing you to move in a more damaging force. On defence it can disable large amounts of small units, or even the large mechs which have no defence against such aircraft.

===Core Lvl 2 Aircraft===

====Seahook====

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

====Krow====

Flying instagib. With its three heavy, rapid-firing lasers, it will kill anything that isn't a group of 5+ flak guns or a fighter swarm.

==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 Ships and Subs===

====Skeeter/Searcher====

The naval equivalent 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. They are also useful as anti-air for early attacks, before you can get/need the standard AA ships ([[#Archer/Shredder|Archer/Shredder]]).

====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 Ships and Subs===

====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 much more accurate heavy laser. These ships can dominate enemy fleets but are expensive and very weak against submarines and aircraft. 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 sea-borne 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.

==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 Hovercraft===

====Mausser/Navarone====

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

====Swatter/Slinger====

An anti-air 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. Neither can stand up to proper tanks or ships, but they're very good for quick attacks over small bodies of water.

====Wombat/Nixer====

A hovercraft with a vertically-launched artillery rocket. Very similar to the Merl/Diplomat, but with a shorter range, faster fire rate, and lower 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.) These effectively form the tier 3 of aircraft. While the ranks of seaplanes do not include units like Krows or Krogoths, they are far more cost effective, more powerful, generally nimbler, faster, and so on. Seaplane factories can only be built on the water by Advanced Construction Submarines and Aircraft

===Common Lvl 1 Seaplanes===

====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. Carries flares to help protect it against guided missiles.

====Tornado/Voodoo====

Basic fighter seaplane. Similar to the Hawk/Vamp, but not stealthy and with a less powerful air-to-air missile. Although they will generally lose to a Hawk/Vamp in a head-to-head fight, they are far less expensive and faster to build.

====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. About the same general power level as a Brawler/Rapier, but slightly more cost-effective, quick, and nimble. 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/Maelstrom====

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

2006-06-11T20:49:19Z

Egarwaen: Updated for 1.5. I think that's everything relevant?

This is the Practical AA Guide. It has information such as ways to best use units, and things to avoid. To answer more technical questions, such as exactly how much damage per second a weapon is capable of, or precise build costs of a particular unit, you may want to visit the [http://ta-aa.sourceforge.net/modweb Technical AA Guide].

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 in the first few minutes of the game, and destroys any reclaimable wreckage. His laser should be more than enough against small groups of raiders. Whatever you do, '''do not''' D-Gun your own structures or units unless it's that or lose the game.

The Commander has a small but constant auto-repair, which makes him better able to handle fire from raiders and sporadic artillery hits.

==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 Resource Structures===

====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 Collector====

More expensive than a [[#Wind Generator|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 Metal Maker consumes 100e and produces 1m. When building metal makers, always use the [[Metal Maker AI]].

There are also floating versions of this structure, these ae somhat more efficient, consuming 90e and producing 1m.

====Advanced Solar Collector====

The Advanced Solar Generator produces about four times as much energy (75 per tick) as a regular [[#Solar Collector|Solar Collector]], but costs correspondingly more metal and significantly more energy. Their advantage over regular Solar Collectors is that they have a smaller footprint (4x4 instead of 5x5). They cannot close into a more armored form, but they do have more health.

====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.

Geothermal powerplants, much like the level 2 Moho Geothermal Powerplants, have a nasty explosion. Be careful what you build around them since they will be a prime target of opportunity.

Absolute Annihilation gives Arm increased output from geothermal powerplants.

====Energy/Metal Storage====

As the name indicates, these structures provide you with additional energy and metal storage. Since all resource structures in AA come with some 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 usually be using up your metal as fast as you can without stalling. ''However'' if you're reclaiming a lot of things, especially any [[#Commander|Commander]] wreckage laying about, you'll need these in order to make sure you receive all your metal.

===Arm Level 1 Resource Structures===

====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 necessary. Watch out for this when killing them if the enemy has some units nearby, as paralyzed units are easy prey.

===Core Level 1 Resource Structures===

====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 Resource Structures===

====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. Unlike Moho Mines in [[XTA]], they only cost 25 energy to operate. 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.

Absolute Annihilation gives Core slightly better energy output on their fusion plants.

====Moho Metal Maker====

A bigger, better metal maker. Takes much more energy to operate, but produces much more metal, and does so more efficently. 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, wich is the most efficent energy to metal convertor of all.

====Metal Generator====

A structure that provides a steady input of 1m at no cost other than initial construction. 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.

Absolute Annihilation gives Arm a hefty boost to their output from Moho Geothermal Powerplants.

====Advanced Fusion Reactor====

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

Absolute Annihilation gives Core a hefty boost to their Advanced Fusion Reactor's energy output. However, this is somewhat offset by the greater cost a Core player must pay if he or she wants to cloak their reactor.

===Arm Level 2 Resource Structures===

====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 Resource Structures===

====Moho 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. Behemoths have the longest range of any structure except for LRPC/RFLRPCs.

==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 by either side. Yes, this means that you can't use radar to detect enemy units inside the area of effect of one of your jammers! 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.

In the late game, as more and more of the map gets covered by radar jammers, Dragon's Eyes become one of the most effective ways to keep track of your enemy's activities. They're virtually undectable once built and can't be fooled by radar jamming or stealth, though they still can't see cloaked units.

===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 [[#Bulldog|Bulldogs]] or [[#Goliath|Goliaths]], can drive over Dragon's Teeth, destroying them in the process.

Commanders and construction planes have a speed advantage in building these, as construction bots and vehicles do a small animation whenver they start or finish constructing something. This slows them down significantly on such cheap structures.

These can be used in lines to block an enemy advance. This is useful to prevent fast raiding units from simply rushing past your defences to attack key buildings in the back of your base. They can also be used in small lines or squares surrounding a defensive structure such as a [[#Sentinel/Gaat_Gun_Heavy_Laser_Tower|heavy laser tower]]. This can provide some protection from small units with direct fire weapons such as the [[#Flash/Instigator|Flash tank]].

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

One interesting use of Dragon's Teeth is terrain modification. DTs have a substantially higher "slope tolerance" (the maximum slope they can be built on) than most structures. They can be reclaimed to recover much of the metal that went into their construction. This makes them excellent for "clearing terrain" for building other structures. Just build a single DT or a small block of them, reclaim them, and build on the now-flattened land! This is great for putting up LLTs on hills, but can also be used to place Guardians/Punishers in unexpected locations. (Tip from Felix the Cat)

===Level 1 Defensive Structures===

====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 abbreviated as "LLT". They're good for covering mostly-blocked approaches to your base (like hills), as they can kill most light raiding forces.

A good way to defend against early to mid-game attacks is to build 3 LLTs in a loose cluster at the top of any hills or in choke points. Then build a couple of radar towers behind them to help spot enemies.

Throughout any game, even to the end, LLTs should be built in key areas of your base. They will come in handy in case an enemy slips through your outer perimeter.

====Beamer/Heavy Light Laser Turret (HLLT)====

Designed as a more permanent defensive structure for highly valuable inner-base areas as well as mid-game frontline duty. Beamers shoot a constant beam (get it? eh? eh?) which causes steady damage. This makes it ideal for dealing with attacks from both heavier units like Hammers/Thuds or much lighter units like Fleas, where it can instantly move on to the next target when the first one is destroyed, rather than waiting for a lengthy cool-down period. These also have a slightly longer range than vanilla LLTs.

The HLLT, on the other hand, is pretty much just a beefed up LLT. It has two turrets, allowing it to target two enemies simultaneously or concentrate on a single one. They have more than their fair share of hit points.

====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.

====Packo/SAM Anti-air Turret====

These are much more durable than standard missile towers and fire homing missiles quite rapidly. They are good at taking out large number of lighter planes quickly, making them a very effective fighter swarm counter. They will struggle to kill level 2 gunships and bombers unless used in large numbers, making flak cannons and level 2 missile towers a better choice against these units. The Packo can retract into a shielded underground state, largely protecting it from ground attack. The SAM just has more hitpoints.

====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.''

Besides Mercury/Screamer towers, these are the longest-range anti-air units you can build.

These buildings do extra damage against bombers.

====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 trajectory", which causes it to fire more damaging but highly inaccurate shells with a large area of effect in a high arc, or "Low trajectory", 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.

These do extra damage against amphibious units, and are therefore a good choice for defending a shoreline against a "fully submerged" opponent.

====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.

====Dargon's Claw/Dragon's Maw====

These are stealthy defensive structures (really stationary units) that can disguise themselves as Dragon's Teeth. When disguised, they can take significant amounts of damage, just like any "pop-up" weapon. If an enemy wanders into range, they'll reveal themselves and attack with a short-ranged lightning cannon (Arm) or flamethrower (Core). When destroyed, they leave behind ordinary Dragon's Teeth.

===Level 2 Defensive Structures===

====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 or nuclear weapons.

====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 totally under water, and so can only be targeted 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 must be constructed before launch) all the way across any map, each of which can destroy a substantial portion of an enemy base. Very few things (such as specialized structures that are in an armoured state by default) can survive a nuke blast, though the missiles can be easily intercepted by Protectors/Fortitudes.

====Juno====

The Juno is a much more limited ballistic 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. A cluster of these structures packed into a chokepoint or lined up in front of some Annihilators/Doomsday Machines can do quite a lot of damage. When not in use, they fold away into a concrete bunker, making them effectively immune to long-range artillery and even nuke strikes.

===Arm Level 2 Defensive Structures===

====Detonator====

The Detonator fires ballistic EMP missiles that paralyze units caught inside the blast. Their projectiles cannot be intercepted, making them very good at "preparing" enemy defensive structures or units for an attack. Like nukes and anti-nukes, the Detonator must build each shot before it can be used.

===Core Level 2 Defensive Structures===

====Inferno====

Wide-arc flamethrower. Good against swarms or for use in conjunction with several other Infernos against bigger units, or simply as one more extra support turret in a massively fortified front line.

====Catalyst====

A short-range tactical nuke launcher. The Catalyst's ballistic missile cannot be intercepted by anti-nukes but do significantly less damage than full-sized nukes. This makes them poor at destroying bases, but very good at softening up an enemy defensive line before an attack.

==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 KBots===

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====

Slightly 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 have a long range but 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 are shorter-ranged than Rocko/Storm rockets, but can 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 KBots===

====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 KBots===

The Core has no unique Level 1 KBots.

===Common Lvl 2 KBots===

====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-conceived 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 reanimated corpses of the enemy's attack force into your service to supplement 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 useful for getting past an enemy's defences. They also have a nanolathe, which can be used to reclaim wreckage, Dragon's Teeth, or slow enemy construction projects, though this will probably reveal your spy's location very quickly..

===Arm Lvl 2 KBots===

====Fido====

A very average level 2 KBot. Weaker than a [[#Zeus|Zeus]] or [[#Maverick|Maverick]] but faster and cheaper. Versatile but not particularly good at any one thing. The Fido has two fire modes, which can be toggled by switching its "Active State" between "On" and "Off". The default uses a long-range, slow-firing direct-fire gauss cannon. It's fairly accurate but relatively low-damage. The "Ballistic Cannon" mode fires a less-accurate shell that travels in a higher, ballistic arc, allowing it to fire over other units, Dragon's Teeth, and hills.

====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. Average durability and speed for an L2 unit, but capable of doing impressive damage. It destroys L1 units and light defences with ease. The Maverick also auto-repairs in combat and has a longer visual range than most units, making one or two good "spotters" for a unit of other KBots.

====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 opponents 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.

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.

====Scarab====

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.

===Core Lvl 2 KBots===

====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.

====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. Longer weapon range and more power, as well as a much faster fire rate. 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. Good at countering light Level 3 KBots. Like the Can, it has a combat auto-repair.

====Morty====

A support KBot with a very big gun. Has a long range and fires fast, 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 torpedoes 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 or Raiders near the front lines to reinforce your assault force can be very effective!

====Dominator====

Another artillery support KBot, the Dominator fires vertically-launched rockets. These are only slightly longer-ranged 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. Combined with radar jamming, a Skuttle can blast an impressive hole in even the toughest defences.

====Leejen====

A light and fast but totally unarmed scout KBot. Cheap unit, good for scouting ahead of a force for things like stealth units, mines, and enemy defences. Has a very short-ranged radar for spotting cloaked units, etc.

===Common Lvl 3 KBots===

====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 Annihilators/Doomsday Machines, 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, or a few Sumos, though it can outrun the Sumos.

====Marauder====

A medium amphibious assault unit. Very fast moving on land, and can be 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 bypass enemy defences.

====Aegis====

A mobile EMP ballistic missile 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 KBots===

====Krogoth====

An [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/wiki/Uberweapon Uberweapon]. Costs absurd amounts of resources. Slightly more powerful and tougher than the Orcone, and features a shotgun-style blaster which is ideal for concentrated fire on a single heavy target or spread fire over a swarm of lesser units.

====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 vulnerable 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. Juggernauts have a lot of hit points, so they can also be used as a sort of "rolling front line". Should ideally have a group of support construction units for when its job is done and it's lost a lot of health.

====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. In groups of three or more, these can tear apart an enemy base in as little as 60 seconds. They should be guarded well by units such as Sumos, Cans, and Karganeths.

==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 Vehicles===

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 equivalent 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.

====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 equivalent 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 (to their peril).

===Arm Lvl 1 Vehicles===

====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 Vehicles===

====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 Vehicles===

====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 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. They are slower than other forms of mobile artillery but tougher, making them good at assaulting enemy defensive structures.

====Triton/Croc====

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. The usual limitations of amphibious units apply.

====Bulldog/Reaper====

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

===Arm Lvl 2 Vehicles===

====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.

===Core Lvl 2 Vehicles===

====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 heavy level 2 tank, and while expensive, a force of them can do very impressive damage and can be very difficult to stop, especially since it auto-repairs even during combat. 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!

====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. Its shots have a fairly large scatter, making them great at wiping out clustered defences or resource buildings.

====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.

==Aircraft==

Aircraft are airborne combat units. They're fast, can cross any terrain, but can take very little damage. Most aircraft are specialized, and designed for a specific task. Against units not built specifically to counter them, aircraft are very effective. Against anti-air units, they are at a significant disadvantage. Generally air units are not a base busting assault weapon, but anyone who assumes that they are useless will play at a significant disadvantage. Aircraft can be put to several uses, even in the late game:

Scouting: You've built a [[#Big Bertha/Intimidator|VLRPC]] (or ten). The sounds of each successive shell exploding in your enemy's base is slowly ratcheting up the pressure. But how do you know whether the pride of your army is destroying important enemy buildings, or killing peewees and solar collectors? Build some airplanes and have a look. You can then aim your Big Bertha at a worthy target. If your enemies build LRPCs, but only one player builds planes, guess who will find and destroy the opposing LRPCs first?

A few light aircraft can also be a great investment ahead of a ground attack. You can spot holes in the defence to aim for or unexpected resistance to retreat from before taking losses. They can provide line of sight for long range artillery to start pounding opposing defences. And what is that blob of units coming towards you on the radar? A plane can tell you if its 20 peewees or 20 goliaths. Any empty space on the map? Send a plane to scout at random intervals; you might find and prevent an opponent preparing a nasty surprise under cover of a radar jammer.

In general terms, scout aircraft are invaluable, as they're a very reliable mechanism for gathering precise information about the battlefield, even through heavy radar jamming and enemy fire.

Overwhelming: Focus efforts on building a large devestating force of bombers or gunships. With enough effort or against an unsuspecting victim, you may create a large enough air attack to devestate a base with insufficient anti-air defence. If your opponent ''does'' build enough anti-air defences, the setback to your economy from this effort will be serious.

Defence: An often overlooked aspect of aircraft is their use for base defence. They have the advantage of being able to intercept an attack from any direction quickly. If the attack force does not include a significant anti air componenent, your planes can attack while taking very little damage in return. [[#Hawk/Vamp|Hawks/Vamps]] are particularly good at this, and while they're unlikely to do fatal damage to ground units, they're excellent at intercepting and destroying enemy airstrikes. A few Arm Stilletos can provide an effective defence against nearly any attack.

Strategic strikes: Sometimes your opponent has a key building you badly want to destroy. It might be a [[#Retaliator/Silencer|nuclear silo]], [[#Protector/Fortitude|nuclear defence]], or a [[#Vulcan/Buzzsaw|rapid fire LRPC]]. Perhaps a [[#Moho Geothermal Powerplant|moho geothermal]], or [[#Advanced Fusion Reactor|advanced fusion]] that could take half the base with it if you can kill it. Or a [[#Commander|Commander]]. A determined bombing assault can often do the trick. Air has an unequaled ability to rapidly move and concentrate force to attack a key location. Just make sure the target is worth the effort, as in most games the planes that will get destroyed by anti-air in such a strike will represent a significant investment of resources. You'll need to use ground forces to capitalize on the strike.

All aircraft have a limited-range sonar, allowing them to see submerged units immediately under them. Aircraft generally cost larger amounts of energy, and lower amounts of metal when compared with other units. This can energy stall an unprepared player who tries to build an air force too early in the game. Aircraft also take a long time to build. Building an Air Factory as your first factory is a high-risk move guaranteed to slow down economic expansion drastrically.

===Common Lvl 1 Aircraft===

====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. Carries flares to reduce the effectiveness of guided AA weapons. They're best used as scouts, to spot targets for long-range artillery or attack forces. As they're cheap, fast, airborne, carry radar, and have a good sight range, Peepers and Finks are among the best scouts in the game. It's almost always worth building an L1 Aircraft Plant even if you only use it for building these.

====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. Although they're not specifically designed for it, a group of 20-30 of these can be quickly and cheaply built to harass enemy units to great effect. Great against level 1 aircraft, and useful against level 2 aircraft if built in a large enough swarm. They are also extremely effective against gunships, as gunships do not typically have guided weapons. A large swarm can also be surprisingly effective against light ground units. However their weapons tend to fire infrequently at ground unless specifically ordered to do so.

An effective tactic can be to slowly assemble a group of these and then use them to raid your enemy's resources; from then on, he'll be forced to build extensive anti-air even if you don't plan on ever using air again. If your enemy is spending half his resources to defend against an attack that's not coming....

====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 Aircraft===

====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 damage, 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 vulnerable to flak.

As with all gunships, banshees take slightly (~20%) reduced damage from missiles compared to other types of aircraft.

===Core Lvl 1 Aircraft===

====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 paralysing serious threats. It can hover, allowing it to attack slow-moving or stationary ground units very effectively but making it vulnerable to flak.

Many Core players have gone on the record to say that the only reason they like Core so much is the Bladewing. With its ability to temporarily remove any one unit from a fight, you can effectively take the wind out of your enemy's sails if that one unit is, for instance, a Bantha.

Be aware that superweapons and Commanders are nigh-invulnerable to paralyzer weapons. Concentrated fire may temporarily stun them, but they'll be back in action practically the instant you stop firing.

===Common Lvl 2 Aircraft===

====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. Before the enemy has significant flak defences, Brawlers and Rapiers are viable for assaults. After that point, they're best used to raid outposts that haven't yet had flak cannons installed, or harass assault forces that have insufficient AA cover.

====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, regardless of what it is. 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.

As advanced missile towers and flak get built, the ability of Phoenixes and Hurricanes to hit targets anywhere in a base diminishes. They remain useful for striking targets near the edge, and can be good for softening up a defence line or breaking a hole in it before an attack, but typically need to withdraw (or will be destroyed) after one or two passes.

Because of their bomb scattering attribute, a group of even 5+ Phoenix or Hurricanes can be used to quickly massacre even a moderately fast-moving attack group if it isn't protected by a strong anti-air presence.

====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 attacking ground targets. They're good at intercepting enemy airstrikes and providing AA defence for the skies over your base or contested territory.

====Eagle/Vulture====

A more sophisticated recon plane. Has a longer radar range and carries a real sonar. Information about your enemy's activities is vital for both attack and defence, and the Eagle/Vulture can tell you a lot. Since they're more expensive than the Peeper/Fink, they're less expendable, making them less useful for quick scouting once AA is deployed. Carry flares to improve their survivability against guided missiles.

===Arm Lvl 2 Aircraft===

====Blade====

A gunship with even more armor and an even bigger weapon. They're tough and reasonably fast, making them good support for your assault forces once the enemy deploys flak cannons and Mercuries/Screamers. Hawks/Vamps and Freedom Fighters/Avengers still work well against them.

Because of a Blade's heavy armor, they take only 50% damage from flak guns, in addition to the standard 20% damage reduction for missile attacks on gunships. In short, they're Arm's ultimate high-flying badasses.

====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 Hawks/Vamps and Freedom Fighters/Avengers, 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. These units are highly resiliant against anti-aircraft fire, with a relativley high amount of hitpoints, radar invisibility, and flares to deflect missiles. On the offensive it can be used to disable enemy AA or ground turrets, allowing you to move in a more damaging force. On defence it can disable large amounts of small units, or even the large mechs which have no defence against such aircraft.

===Core Lvl 2 Aircraft===

====Seahook====

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

====Krow====

Flying instagib. With its three heavy, rapid-firing lasers, it will kill anything that isn't a group of 5+ flak guns or a fighter swarm.

==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 Ships and Subs===

====Skeeter/Searcher====

The naval equivalent 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. They are also useful as anti-air for early attacks, before you can get/need the standard AA ships ([[#Archer/Shredder|Archer/Shredder]]).

====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 Ships and Subs===

====Abel/Caine====

A medium-range bombardment ship, the Abel/Caine packs a rapid-fire, long-range, highly inaccurate plasma cannon intended for shelling large targets, such as a cluster of shipyards or an enemy base near to the shoreline.

====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 much more accurate heavy laser. These ships can dominate enemy fleets but are expensive and very weak against submarines and aircraft. 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 sea-borne 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.

==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 Hovercraft===

====Mausser/Navarone====

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

====Swatter/Slinger====

An anti-air 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. Neither can stand up to proper tanks or ships, but they're very good for quick attacks over small bodies of water.

====Wombat/Nixer====

A hovercraft with a vertically-launched artillery rocket. Very similar to the Merl/Diplomat, but with a shorter range, faster fire rate, and lower 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.) These effectively form the tier 3 of aircraft. While the ranks of seaplanes do not include units like Krows or Krogoths, they are far more cost effective, more powerful, generally nimbler, faster, and so on. Seaplane factories can only be built on the water by Advanced Construction Submarines and Aircraft

===Common Lvl 1 Seaplanes===

====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. Carries flares to help protect it against guided missiles.

====Tornado/Voodoo====

Basic fighter seaplane. Similar to the Hawk/Vamp, but not stealthy and with a less powerful air-to-air missile. Although they will generally lose to a Hawk/Vamp in a head-to-head fight, they are far less expensive and faster to build.

====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. About the same general power level as a Brawler/Rapier, but slightly more cost-effective, quick, and nimble. 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/Maelstrom====

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]]

Using Spring

2006-06-02T15:03:43Z

Egarwaen: /* Select AI (CTRL+Q) */ Correct link to AIs page.

This is a fairly exhaustive description of controls, interface and features. For basic information, check the most current [http://cvs.sourceforge.net/viewcvs.py/*checkout*/springrts/taspring/README.html README.html] (should be mirrored [[Readme|here]])or [[Read_Me_First]]. For an introduction to the strategy and overall gameplay in XTA (and most mods based on the original Cavedog units) check out the [[Spring_guide%21]]. Other mods should have more specific documentation on their web sites or on the Wiki. Please see the links in the [[Mods]] section.

For more advanced/current information check the most recent [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/changelog.txt changelog] or the [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/phpbb/ TA Spring Forums].

==Camera Controls==

There are four camera modes in Spring. To change camera modes use CTRL+Middle Button (Mouse 3), CTRL+J or CTRL+Backspace (Also SHIFT+[Mouse 3,J or Backspace]). Middle button, Backspace or J toggle "free look" mode for the current camera view. This allows you to move the camera around using the mouse.

===Camera Modes===

There are four different camera modes in Spring. Everyone likes a different one. Try them all out to decide what you like best.

====Classic Overhead(TA) Style====
The default view, very similar to the view OTA had. Use the arrow keys or move the mouse to the edge of the screen to pan around the map. The scroll wheel zooms in and out. Ctrl+Scrolling will tilt the camera. Free look mode (click the middle mouse button) also pans around the map. It always "faces" straight north.

This is the easiest view for OTA players to use. It functions exactly the same as the OTA camera, so no new tricky controls are needed to properly enjoy the game. This view has recently had camera tilt added (see above), but still does not really show off the full glory of the Spring engine, as you are limited to one compass direction. It is the favorite view mode for most people, as most people played OTA or other similar RTS games with a traditional top-down view.

====Total War Style====
The same camera system used in the Total War series of games. It runs at a fixed height above the ground, which cannot be changed. Use the arrow keys or move the mouse to the edge of the screen to pan around the map. Scrolling the scroll wheel tilts the camera. Putting the mouse in the top corners of the screen rotates the view. Free look mode (click the middle mouse button) pans around the map.

This mode is good for those familiar with the Total War games. Like the OTA camera, it does not allow for full freedom of movement, so it does not show off the engine as much as it could.

====FPS Style====
In this view the camera is controlled just like in a first person shooter. Use arrow keys to fly forward/backward and strafe left/right. Hold the middle mouse button to aim the camera. Use the scroll wheel to zoom in and out.

This is the easiest camera to position. However, it can get quite tedious trying to control the camera in the middle of a battle. Its good for screenshots and FPS junkies.

====Rotatable Overhead Camera====

This is a new camera system invented by the SY's. You can change the camera height by scrolling. Use the arrow keys to pan around the map. The scroll wheel moves the camera up and down vertically. Free look mode (click the middle mouse button) lets you aim the camera from its current position.

This is perhaps the best camera, as it allows for totally free movement and aiming, but with some handy restrictions on the height. It is the second most popular view besides the OTA view. It's useful for both screenshots and actual gameplay.

====FPS "Mode" (C)====
Press 'C' to toggle "First Person Shooter Mode".

Controls:
*Up Arrow: Move in the direction the unit's base (legs or tracks) is facing
*Left Arrow: Rotate Legs to the left
*Right Arrow: Rotate Legs to the right
*Mouse: Aim default gun. The gun will lock on to any targets the cursor moves close to, making tracking and firing at targets much easier.
*Left Mouse Button: Shoot whatever guns the engine has decided to let you shoot at the current target.
*Right Mouse Button: Click to enter Free Fire Mode. In this mode, the AI will aim and fire for you as you move.

===General Function Keys===

For the most part, the function keys control what the camera sees, so they are listed here for lack of a better place for them.

*'''F1''': Toggles Contour Markings On/Off. These color coded contour markings represent the height of the map. One iteration through the colors (ie: red-green-blue-red) is 32 units high.
*'''F2''': Toggles Path map On/Off. The path map works the following way:
**'''Mobile Unit Selected''': If you have a mobile unit selected, then the pathmap shows where that specific unit can move (green) and where it cant (red). The greener the map, the better the unit can walk on that area. Zones that can't be walked or driven on are always solid red.
**'''Builder Selected''': When you have a builder selected and have clicked on a building in its build menu (i.e. a Kbot lab), the path map will show you where you can build that building. Its fairly easy to understand, with the green zones representing buildable areas, and the red zones representing the areas where you cannot build. Note that the marks represent the "center-point" of the build, so if your mouse cursor is over green, you can build there, even if there's red within the building's border.
*'''F3''': Moves the camera to the position of the last message. Messages can be from units or alerts placed on the minimap by your allies.
*'''F4''': Toggles Metal Map On/Off. If the map is green, there is metal there. If the map is black, there is no metal. If the map is white, there is lots of metal and it would be a good strategic place to hold. The camera automatically switches to Metal Map mode when placing Metal Extractor structures, and switches back when you stop placing these structures.
*'''F5''': Toggles the GUI On/Off. Good for taking screenshots.
*'''F6''': Toggles Sound On/Off. Self-explanatory.
*'''F7''': Toggles the Dynamic sky. If the game is running slowly, try turning this off to speed it up a little bit.
*'''F8''': Save the Game. Not currently supported.
*'''F9''': Show/Hide Unit Status. Unit Status bars are: Health, Building percentage, experience, and group numbers.
*'''F11/F12''': Screenshots. Takes a screenshot and saves it to TASpring/Screenshots/Screenshot###.jpg, where ### is the number of the screenshot.
*'''Pause''': Pauses the game. While the game is paused, you can still scroll around the map and issue orders, but nothing actually happens until the game's unpaused.

===Snapping/Panning Camera to a Specific View===
Right click(MOUSE2) on the mini-map to snap the center of the view to that point on the map. Right click and drag to move the camera around the map.

Press F3 to snap the camera view to the point of the last "message" ("Unit is under attack", "player 1 has placed a point: look here!").

Press T to lock the camera to track the currently selected units. The camera will move so that the selected units are always centered. Move the camera manually to stop the tracking.

==Selections/Groups/Group Commands/Group AI==

===The Selection Editor===

'''SelectionEditor.exe''' is a program installed in your install directory, which is used for editing your '''selectkeys.txt''' configuration file, allowing you to make your own shortcut keys for selecting/filtering selection.

This [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=2190 Forum Thread] has some good documentation about using the selection editor.

===Default Selection Controls===

Most of these controls can be customized in the selection editor.

====Selecting/Deselecting Units====
Unless you have issued a pending command(see [[#Left Mouse Control (Mouse 1)|Left Mouse Control (Mouse 1)]]), left-clicking(Mouse Button 1) a unit will clear the current selection and select the left-clicked unit, if a spot with no valid selection is clicked(empty space, ground, unowned units), the current selection will be cleared. Left-clicking and dragging will draw a box, any units within this box will be selected when you release the mouse button.

Shift+Left-clicking(including dragging a select box), unless you have a pending command, will add units to the current selection.

CTRL+Left-clicking (including dragging a select box), unless you have a pending command, will toggle selection. Units in the selection will be removed from it, units not in the selection will be added to it.

Double-left-clicking a unit that's not in a group will select all visible (camera bounds) units of the clicked type. Shift+Double-left-clicking will add all units of the double-clicked unit's type to the current selection.

CTRL+Z is a shortcut to select all owned units of the current selected type. For example, if a peewee and a brawler are selected, all peewees and brawlers will be selected.

CTRL+A is a shortcut (which can be eddited in Selection Editor) to select all owned units.
<br />
<table><tr><td>"Tooltips" are displayed in the bottom left of the current interface. If units are selected, this information is the sum of all information about all units in the selection. If you select a bank of 5 solar collectors, it will show the total health of all those units and the total energy they're producing. If you move the mouse over a "build-pic" in a list of units that can be built, it will show you the costs and stats associated with the unit represented by the "build-pic". If you have no selection, the tooltip will show information about what your mouse is over at that time. If your mouse is over a unit, it will show stats for that unit. Otherwise it will show information about the terrain.
</td><td>
[[Image:CommanderTooltip.png|thumb|120px|Commander Selected]]
[[Image:TerrainTooltip.png|thumb|120px|Terrain Hover (No Units Selected)]]
</td><td>
[[Image:BuildMexTooltip.png|thumb|120px|Metal Extractor Buildpic Hover]]
[[Image:RepairTooltip.png|thumb|120px|Repair Command Hover]]</td></tr></table>
[[Image:PeeweeGroupTooltip.png|frame|center|Group of units Selected]]

====Basic Unit Groups====

Spring supports assigning units to numbered groups. You can assign the currently selected units to a numbered group with CTRL+# (where # is a number key) which will put that number(#) above all selected units, then later, you can quickly select just these units by pressing that #, or add them to the current selection with SHIFT+#.

If a factory is set to a group, all units built by this factory will also be automatically assigned to this group. This is not a good idea with combat units unless you ungroup the factory before sending the units into battle, as it can prevent you from assigning certain orders, and result in newly-produced units doing stupid things.

Units can only be in one group at a time, so assigning a new group number to a unit will remove it from its current group.

Assigning a unit to a group overides normal double-clicking behaviour. If you double-click a member of a group, all units in the same group will be selected.

Also note that when you CTRL+# a group of units the old group with that number will no longer exist. If you intend to add aditional units to a group, you must first SHIFT+# the current members and then add (by holding SHIFT) the additional units to the selection group and the use CTRL+# to re-assign all the units to that group. A shortcut for this is holding down both SHIFT and CTRL and pressing a number(#) to add the current selection to that group, and select the entirety of that new group.

====Advanced Unit Groups with GroupAIs====

It is possible to use more than groups 0-9, but additional groups from 10 and up are controlled by a "Group AI".

See [[#Select_AI_.28CTRL.2BQ.29|Select AI (CTRL+Q)]] for information on these "Group AIs".

See [[#Assign/Select_Current_Group (Q)|Assign/Select Current Group (Q)]] to learn how to select these groups and add units to them.

==Issuing Orders/Building==

====Left Mouse Control (Mouse 1)====
As covered in [[#Selecting/Deselecting Units|Selecting/Deselecting Units]], left clicking is the primary control for selecting units. If a pending order is issued using the menu that appears on the left side of the screen or using a Hotkey, the mouse pointer will change to a symbol representing this action. If there is a pending order and you left click on a valid target for the action the selcted units will perform this action on that target, otherwise the units will "do their best" to perform the action, which could mean just cancelling the Order.

The menu will show all available commands for all selected units, except for wait and self destruct, in the menu. Mousing over a menu item will also display the Tooltip for this item.

====Right Mouse Control (Mouse 2)====
Right clicking will always give the selected units the default action for the target, if the order is invalid for some members of the group, it may or may not choose a suitable action for those units to perform.

====Queueing Orders====

Holding down SHIFT while giving a unit an order adds that order to its queue. Queueing orders means that you can tell a unit, or a group of units to do multiple tasks, and they will go off and do them in the order they were given without any more input from you. For example, if you you want a Construction Vehicle to build a line of defences around your base, you can select the structure you want, hold shift and click where you want them few times. The construction vehicle will now go and build (or try to build) all of the selected structures while you go and pay attention to other things. You can queue any order, and any number of orders. It would be possible (but not very smart) to order your commander to build a whole base for you while you go off and have lunch!

If you have a unit selected, holding SHIFT will show the unit's order queue. Green lines indicate movement orders, red lines attack orders, light blue lines patrol orders, dark blue lines Guard orders, and purple lines reclaim orders. Green rectangles will show where you have construction orders queued. If you have a construction unit selected, you'll see ghosted images of the buildings that unit is going to build inside the green rectangles, linked by green "movement order" lines.

You can remove an order from the order queue by holding shift and repeating the same order. This doesn't work very well on area or movement type orders but can be useful for cancelling the construction of an un-needed building.

Another use for this is to issue complicated movement orders. Say you want your army to attack your enemy, but you want to attack from the side, where they are their weakest. Just issuing one move command to attack the side of their base would send our units moving THROUGH your enemy's base to try to get to the side. This is not very good. But if you tell your units to move to a location AWAY from the base and them back towards it, by queuing up two or more move commands, this problem can be successfully avoided. Or you could tell your units to attack certain buildings in a certain order, for instance attack all the outlying metal extracors, and them go for the power plants in the base, they will follow these orders oblivious to anything else, while you go in and attack the other important things.

This is also good for building complicated patrol paths. Note that units given a patrol order will return to their starting point after executing the last patrol order, so queuing up other orders after a patrol order is very pointless.

When you issue a order without holding shift, it clears the unit's queue and immediately starts it executing that order.

Learning how to use your units' order queues is a vital part of the game.

===Building Buildings===
When a contruction unit is selected you will see images in it's command list (menu on the left) representing the buildings that it can build. These are referred to as "buildpics". Mousing over a buildpic will make the tooltip show information about the structure or unit. Clicking on a structure's buildpic will select it for contruction. If multiple units are selected, all available structures (and mobile units) will appear in the command list. Choosing to build a building when you have multiple units selected will usually assign all units to help build those buildings if this is a valid command.

When you build a unit with a non-factory you will need to choose a ground plate for it to be built on (represented by a grid on the map under your cursor).
<br><br>
{| align="center" width="500px" bgcolor="white" border="1px"
|- valign="top"
|
If the grid is green, you can build at that location.
|[[Image:BuildPlateOkay.png]]
|- valign="top"
|
If the grid is green with some yellow-green squares in it somewhere, it means the groundplate is blocked by a mobile unit or reclaimable feature. This situation should be resolved automaticly by the constructing unit.
|[[Image:BuildPlateResolvable.png]]
|- valign="top"
|
If the grid has any red squares in it, this is an invalid build position, the non red squares of the grid represent unobstructed parts of the obstructed grid.
|[[Image:BuildPlateBad.png]]
|}

====Build (select structure then left-click)====

Builds whatever structure selected in the location clicked by moving the builder unit selected there.

====Build Queue (select structure then shift + left-click)====

Puts the build order into your unit's order queue, just as with any other order.

====Build Line (SHIFT)====
(select structure then shift + left-hold-drag then release left mouse)
{|
|- valign="top"
|
Adds a straight line of the selected structure into your unit's build queue starting where you first depressed the leftmouse and ending at the location you release the leftmouse.
|[[Image:BUILDSHIFT.png|thumb|200px|Shift-Build]]
|}

====Build Grid Line (SHIFT+CTRL)====
(select structure then shift+ctrl+left-hold-drag then release left mouse)
{|
|- valign="top"
|
Adds a straight line of the selected structure into your unit's build queue starting where you first depressed the leftmouse and ending aligned to the location you release. This line, however, will be either vertical or horizontal and aligned to the map's grid.
|[[Image:BUILDCTRLSHIFT.png|thumb|200px|Shift-Ctrl-Build]]
|}

====Build Perimeter (SHIFT+CTRL+ALT)====
(select structure then shift+ctrl+alt+left-hold-drag then release left mouse)
{|
|- valign="top"
|
Adds an empty square or rectangle box of the selected structures to your unit's build queue. The location you first depressed the leftmouse is one corner border and the location you release is the opposing corner. If you move the mouse straight up your box will look like a grid alligned vertical line.
|[[Image:BUILDCTRLALTSHIFT.png|thumb|200px|Shift-Ctrl-Alt-Build]]
|}

====Build Block (SHIFT+ALT)====
(select structure then shift + alt + left-hold-drag then release left mouse)
{|
|- valign="top"
|
Adds a filled in square or rectangle box of the selected structures to your unit's build queue. The location you first depressed the leftmouse is one corner border and the location you release is the opposing corner. If you move the mouse straigt up your box will look like a grid alligned vertical line.
|[[Image:BUILDSHIFTALT.png|thumb|200px|Shift-Alt-Build]]
|}

====Build "Wall" (select structure THEN shift + ctrl + left-click a Unit)====
{|
|- valign="top"
|
Add a wall of the selected structure surrounding the clicked unit to your builders build queue.
|[[Image:BUILDCTRLSHIFTUNIT.png|thumb|200px|Shift-Ctrl-Build]]
|}

====Space Build (MOUSE4/Z and MOUSE5/X)====
(select structure then shift + ctrl + mouse5/mouse4 or z/x)
{|
|- valign="top"
|
Spring allows you to automatically specify the spacing between buildings for batch (line, perimeter, block, wall) orders. This spacing is set with the z (decrease by one) or x (increase by one) keys. The default spacing is zero, with the buildings pressed right up against each other. Each level of spacing gives you an extra 2x2-sized (LLT-sized for OTA-based mods) space in between each structure on all 4 dimensions. Similarly, each click of the spacing contract button(z) removes that amount of space. You cannot remove spaces when structures are already placed with no spacing between them.

This is most useful when you're holding down SHIFT+CTRL, SHIFT+ALT, or SHIFT+CTRL+ALT to give a line/perimeter/block order. When doing this, you can actually see the spacing between the structures increase or decrease.

Note: The mapping of this function to Z and X is as of 0.70b1. As Z and X are used by many players for other units, it's valuable to note that the key mappings for "mouse4" and "mouse5" can be changed in the "uikeys.txt" file in your spring directory. If you have a 5-button mouse, buttons 4 and 5 are probably the side buttons. Experiment with your mouse to find out where they are on it.
|[[Image:BUILDCTRLALTSHIFTX.png|thumb|200px|Spaced-Shift-Ctrl-Alt-Build]]
[[Image:BUILDSHIFTALTX.png|thumb|200px|Spaced-Shift-Alt-Build]]
[[Image:BUILDCTRLSHIFTX.png|thumb|200px|Spaced-Shift-Ctrl-Build]]
[[Image:BUILDSHIFTX.png|thumb|200px|Spaced-Shift-Build]]
|}

===Building Mobile Units (Building with Factories)===

Click on the picture of the unit you want to queue up for building. You can queue up many units this way. A number will appear over the buildpic, showing how many units of that type are in the queue.

Hold SHIFT while clicking a buildpic to order 5 units at one time, hold CTRL while clicking to order 20, hold CTRL+SHIFT while clicking to order 100. Hold ALT while clicking a buildpic to cancel the current construction and starting the constuction of that unit immediately. Right clicking a buildpic will cancel 1,5,20 or 100 orders for that unit using the same SHIFT and/or CTRL modifiers mentioned before. Note that you can use, say, ALT+SHIFT to put five build orders for that unit at the start of the queue.

Assigning a group number to a factory will cause the factory to pass this group number to the units it builds.

You can give factories a Move, Guard, Patrol, or other order and the factory will pass it on to the units it builds. You can use this to choose a better place for new units to go after being built, or to send them straight into construction or a battle without micromanaging them. This includes assigning queued orders (for example: multiple move points to get a unit out of the base in a straight line and then a guard repair order on a specific large unit under construction and then a guard order back on the original factory to increase build speed). You can also issue orders to the unit currently under construction by clicking on it first instead of the factory.

Note that it is currently possible for units to get stuck in factories. Thus, it's a good idea for the first order to always be a move order that takes the unit directly out of the factory doors.

Construction/Repair units can be assigned to guard a factory to increase the speed of production for each of the units the factory makes. They can also be assigned to Repair the unit currently under construction to just help with its construction.

===Commands and Defaults and Hotkeys===
It is assumed that if a unit does not have an ability, it will not be able to perform that action, and will ignore any orders of that type given to a group it's part of. Priorities have been noted.

====Active State (X)====
This command toggles the "active state" of a unit, turning it on or off.
If a unit can be turned off this will usually stop it's prodution and/or use of energy and/or metal and/or stop it from doing something and/or change it's stats.
For example, turning off a radar jamming building would make it stop drawing power and prevent it from jamming radar. Turning off a solar collector would stop it from producing power and cause it to "close up", increasing it's armor.
This behaviour is unit-scriptable so it could technically do anything the designer of the unit wants it to do.

====Attack (A)====
Orders the unit to attack the target or location. If ordered to attack a unit, the selected unit or building will keep firing at the targeted unit/building until it is dead. If the targeted unit moves out of range, or out of sight, the selected unit will move to follow it and continue to attack it. Note that units are very stupid about this, and will continue to execute this order even if they come under heavy attack.

If ordered to attack ground, the unit will never stop until told to do so by the user. Note that units automatically attack any visible enemy units inside their range, and will pursue them (depending on their [[#Move State|Move State]]) a certain distance before returning to their starting location.

====Capture====
The unit will move up to the targeted unit or building and attempt to convert it to your team. So if the enemy has built a Geothermal power plant and forgotten to protect it, grab a nearby construction unit and try to capture it! Note that this takes quite a while, and it is not a good idea to try to capture a unit that is shooting at you. The closer the unit is to 0 health the faster it will be captured. Be careful to set your Commander's [[#Fire State|fire state]] to "hold fire" if you are trying to capture a unit with him, as his laser will likely detroy the target before it is captured.

====Cloak (K)====
Makes a unit inivisble to the enemy's units. Enemy units will not be able to see a unit while it is cloaked, but will still be able to spot it (and fire at it) if they can see the unit VIA radar. Note that this usually uses an immense amount of energy, uses even more energy when the unit's moving, and units uncloak for a few seconds when they shoot. This means that you might want to set the unit to Hold Fire, so the unit doesn't accidentally reveal itself. Cloaking a unit also causes atacking units to lose their target lock and move on to a new target, unless they have radar coverage.

====DGun (D)====
Disintegrator Gun. A weapon used by the Commander. It is a very powerful gun that will kill ANY unit in game. Use it in early game to ward off rushes, or against super units like the Krogoth, or the Goliath. Be careful, as it also destroys your units and buildings at the same time! Uses alot of energy to fire, so make sure you have the required energy before attmpting this.

====Fire State====
Fire States are fairly simple to work out, and are fairly self explanatory. There are three different states, each with their advantages and disadvantages.

''' Fire at Will :''' This is the default setting for all new units. It makes units fire at any visible enemy unit within range. It is good for general destruction.

''' Hold Fire :''' This makes units never fire unless ordered to. Even if they are attacked, they will not do anything. This is good for sneaking units around the back of a base, as they will not draw any attention to themselves, or for units that draw a lot of power when they fire, or which have a long reload time.

''' Return Fire :''' Units only fire at untis that shoot at them. Again, this is good for sneak attacks, but makes them a little smarter and better at defending themselves.

====Guard (G)====
The current selection will "guard" the target owned or allied unit.

When a unit is ordered to guard another unit it will:

1) Attempt to follow it's target anywhere, staying relatively close to it.

2) Defend the target if it becomes threatened and the guard has weapons.

3) Repair if the target if it gets damaged and the guard has repair capabilities.

4) Assist in any construction projects the target is working on if the guard can repair. This also applies to construction units guarding a factory.

5) Repair a unit that has been just resurrected (if capable). But it will not attempt to assist in the actual resurrection, even if the guard can resurrect.

Guard orders "chain". So if Unit 1 guards Unit 2, Unit 2 guards Unit 3, and Unit 3 is told to build or repair or attack, Units 1 and 2 would also join Unit 3 in doing what it was ordered to do.

====High Trajectory====
If this option is available, click the button to toggle this state.

A unit with High Trajectory mode enabled will shoot almost vertically, allowing it to shoot over hills as well as other units and masking the direction/source of the shot.

Using this mode reduces accuracy greatly and also the increased distance of the higher trajectory will increase the amount of time a shot will take to reach it's target.

With some mods, units may gain extra firepower or a larger area of effect when told to use High Trajectory mode.

====Move (M)====
There are 4 ways to move a group of units in Spring:

1) The usual move to point (works for single units or groups, pretty standard.)

2) Holding down on ctrl while giving a move order issues a "Move in formation" command. In this case, formation means whatever formation or configuration the units were in when they were given the order.

3) Holding down Alt during a move command issues a "Move into a square". Units will try to move into a nice, organised formation. However, this rarley ever works, as units tend to shove each other out of the way when trying to get into position.

4) Click and drag at the waypoint and it issues a "Move to this line" command. In this case the line can be oriented however the user wants. The shorter the line the deeper the units will line up. The longer the line, the more the units will be able to line up along with it. If there's enough units in the group they will form double or even triple lines, which may cause some shoving, as with the "Square Move" command.

'''Notes:''' Certain formation commands might not work on every type of aircraft.

By turning on [[#Repeat|Repeat]], units will move back into formation when shoved out of position. However, this should be used with caution, as it can lead to problems when trying to move units later.

Left-clicking with a unit selected is usually as good as pressing the "M" key if the selected point doesn't have any objects at that location.

====Move State====

Like [[#Fire State|Fire State]], this controls how the unit will maneuver in response to enemy units. Units set to Hold Position will not move very far from their current position, if they move from it at all. Units set to Maneuver will move a moderate distance from their current position while chasing enemies. Units set to Roam will move however they want to.

Maneuver is usually the most sensible setting here, as Roam leaves you open to a clever enemy pulling your units into heavy defences.

====Patrol (P)====

A unit given a command to patrol will move back and forth between its current position and the taget location. Holding CTRL when giving a patrol command to a selection with more then one unit will cause the units to move to a location relative the the target point compared to the distance of the unit from the center of the selection. Holding SHIFT while issueing a series of patrol orders will cause the unit to repeat this command, moving from current location to the targets and "circle around" through the points on the queued path.

When a unit is patroling, it will do whatever it can to "help out" along the path of it's patrol route. A construction unit will aid in construction projects, a combat unit will engage enemies, etc. How far it will go out of it's designated route is partially defined by line of sight, radar coverage, [[#Move State|move state]], and [[#Fire State|fire state]].

Examples of Patrol Behaviour:

*If a unit that can repair patrols within range of a damaged (or under contsruction) owned or allied unit, the patrolling unit will repair the damaged unit.

*If a unit that can attack patrols within range of an enemy it will attack the enemy unit.

====Reclaim (E)====

Reclaiming will break down something and give you metal/energy from it. Only certain units (namely, construction units and the Commander) have reclaim capabilities. Wrecks, enemy units, features, and your own units are reclaimable.

Energy and metal will be added to storage when reclaiming process is complete. You must have enough storage space to hold the energy/metal, or you will lose it!

'''Default Behavior:''' Simply clicking on a feature, a wreck, or an enemy unit with a construction unit will reclaim it by default. Hitting 'E' and dragging with the left mouse button issues an area reclaim order, and tells the unit to reclaim any wrecks or features in that area.

Assigning multiple units to reclaim a target will not increase the speed at which the target is reclaimed.

====Repair (R)====
When repairing a damaged unit, uses a percentage of the metal and energy costs associated with a damaged unit to increase the speed at which a unit regains health. This percentage is set per-mod, and many mods have it set to zero, making repairs free. When repairing a unit that is still being constructed the unit will help build the target, increasing the speed at which the unit is completed but also increasing the rate at which your resources are consumed.

The repair command is cancelled when the target's health reaches 100%, so if a unit under construction is damaged the repair command will complete the building of the target and then continue to repair until the unit is at full health.
Valid targets are any damaged units and units currently being constucted.

This is the default command for owned and ally units that are not at full health, including units being constructed by other units and factories, when a construction unit is selected.

The more units that are assigned to repair another unit, the faster the unit will be constructed/restored to full health, but the energy and metal costs will increase accordingly.

====Assign/Select Current Group (Q)====
This key has a double function.

If you have one unit belonguing to a group selected, when pressing Q it will select all the units that belong to this group.

If several units are selected, and one belongs to any group, then, when pressing Q it will assign ALL the selected units to this group, and after that will select the group.

It works with AI groups as well as user-specified groups.

See [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/wiki/Using_Spring#Default_Selection_Controls Default selection Controls] for more info on groups.

====Repeat====

When turned on, Repeat moves any orders that have been completed to the back of the order queue. For instance, if you tell a unit to more to one side of the base, and then to the other side of the base, it would keep going back and forwards forever, because when it completed the first move command, it would place that command at the back of the queue again. This is useful when building units. If you want a factory to continuously pump out a Samson, then a Flash, then two Stumpy's, issue the orders, turn on repeat, and watch the units roll out!

====Restore====

Drag an area of terrain to restore the terrain to it's original form if it has been "deformed" by explosions or the contruction of a building.

====Resurrect====

In XTA only the Arm F.A.R.K. and the Core necro can use this order. Use this to ressurect dead units. If you see some wreakage on the map from some dead units, select a FARK or Necro and ressurect the dead units to have them fight along side your army. A good way to gain the upper hand later in game is to ressurect your opponent's army after a battle. This does take a lot of energy and metal(half as much as building the unit originally), and ressurected units will start on 1 health, so are very vunerable.

Ressurect is the default order for corpses from destroyed units, this unfortunately includes wreackage that can't acctually be resurrected.(Tip: if you cannot tell what unit the wreakage was then most likely you cannot resurrect it)

Dragging this order as an area will cause all selected units to ressurect all valid targets in that area. If multiple units are given a common ressurect order, the target will be resurrected faster but only one of them(probably the one the engine decides acctually completed the process) will try to restore it to health. In the case of an area command the units who do not stay behind to repair the target will move on to a new target.

====Select AI (CTRL+Q)====

Press Control+Q or choose "Select AI" from the Menu to assign a "[[AIs|Group AI]]" to the currently selected units.

Setting an AI will generate a "group" from that selection of units using a number above 10.

In Spring, the term "Group AI" stands more for an aid or "helper" than for a Complete Control AI (as NTAI, ZCAIN, JCAI).

The following [[AIs|Group AI]]s ship with Spring. More might be available from other sources.

None<br>
[[Simple Formation]]<br>
[[Central Build AI]]<br>
[[Metal Maker AI]]<br>
Default = Will assign default AI for that unit (?)

====Self Destruct (CTRL+D)====
Will detonate the selected units/buildings in a very spectacular explosion after a specific count-down (default is 5 seconds). Use this when destroying units/building that are in the way, or when detonationg mines or crawling bombs. A way to literally go out with a bang is to press Ctrl+A (Select All), Ctrl+D (Self Destruct). Note that this will make you lose the game, but is very spectacular!

====Stop (S)====
Makes the selected units stop any queued commands immediately. They will not automatically stop attacking units, unless their fire state is set to Hold Fire, but they will cancel any ongoing attack orders, allowing them to select and engage targets based on their default AI.

====Wait (W)====

Start issuing your chain of commands (Holding Shift). BEFORE a command that you want your units to wait for a go command to execute, hit Shift+W, then continue queuing up orders. Now, to cancel the first wait queued on this group, and have them continue with the rest of the queue, select the units when they're waiting and hit W. Many of these wait waypoints can be chained together. Note that if you hit W before some or all of the selected units have completed the command before the wait, only those that have completed the preceding command will continue.

Units are automatically issued a "stop waiting" command when loaded into and unloaded from a transport.

==Chat, Cheats, and Text Commands==

Pressing ENTER will bring up a "say:" prompt which you can use to communicate with other players or issue "Text Commands". To send a message to all who are connected, type your message and press ENTER. To send a message only to your allies, preface your message with "a:". To send a message to any spectators, type "s:" then your message and press ENTER. To enter a Text Command, simply type the command and press ENTER.

===Basic Text Commands===

<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, its CPU usage percentage and their ping delay in the bottom right corner of the screen. This is on by default.</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>.clock</td><td>Shows you the elapsed game time in minutes and seconds in the bottom right corner of the screen. This is on by default.</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>.take</td><td>Places all allied units that are owned by players who have lost connection to the server under your control. It is generally considered polite to consult with any still-connected allies before doing this. In a Commander Dies, Game Ends game, a player only loses once they have lost ''all'' their Commanders, and this mechanism will give them a second one.</td>
</tr>

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

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

</table>

===Cheat Codes===

<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>Insta-build; everything is built immediatly. (doesn't work on things already under construction, only on new ones)</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, .give all, 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. Use the "all" switch to get ALL the units in the current mod.</td>
</tr>

</table>

==Map Doodles==

Hold the ` key to draw on the screen with the mouse. This is the main gameplay screen, not the minimap. Only you and your allies can see these marks. Use this tool to mark out territory or warn of impending attacks, or mark enemy bases or play tic-tac-toe before the game... Be creative but not annoying.

Hold ` while pressing the left mouse button (MOUSE1) to draw a line.

Hold ` and double left click, then type a label then press ENTER to add a labelled point. This also causes a minimap ping and chat message notification.

Hold ` while clicking the middle mouse button (MOUSE3/Scrollwheel Button) to add an empty point. This also causes a minimap ping and chat message notification.

Hold ` and clicking the right mouse button (MOUSE2) will erase lines or points.

Note: Apparently on some keyboards, the ` is replaced with Ã‚Â§, and it is also known as the ~ or tilde key. Usually this is the key between the Tab and Esc keys in the upper left corner of the keyboard. It can also be changed within the "uikeys.txt" file if you still can't figure it out.

On azerty keyboards * and ÃƒÂ¹ (near return) works but not ~

== Customizing keyboard shortcuts ==

Well there are several categories of keys in Spring that can be customized.

===Unit Action Keys===

These are keys that control unit actions. They're all listed [[Using Spring#Commands and Defaults and Hotkeys|above]] and in the [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/wiki/Readme#Key_assignments Key Assignments] section of the README. The README can also be found in the docs folder of your Spring installation.

These keys are hardcoded and cannot be changed. While a unit is selected, 'A' will always issue an attack order and 'M' will always issue a move order. You can still bind the key to something else in uikeys.txt or the Selection Keys Editor, but your binding will only work when you don't have any units selected.

===User Interface keys===

{{Uikeys_Commands}}

Many key bindings related to the user interface can be edited through the '''uikeys.txt''' file found in Spring folder. You should be able to work out the format by skimming it, it's fairly simple. Key bindings load upon game start, and can't be changed in middle of the game.

A few keys related to the UI can't be changed:

- Mouse button functions.

- Behaviour of shift/control

- Behaviour of shift/control + Middle mouse button.

The correct way to bind keys is to put single-quotes around letter keys, like this:

''bind 'x' mouse3''

You can also comment out any bind to quickly disable it by putting "//" before it:

''//bind home increaseViewRadius''

Function keys and some other keys don't need single quotes. They're listed in the "Special Bindable Keys" list, below.

{| style="float: center; background-color: white;"
|Special Bindable Keys:
{|
|
'''Function'''
* Home
* End
* insert
* delete
* space
* f1-f12
* esc
* `
* Ã‚Â§
* enter
* backspace
* pause
* pageup
* pagedown
|
'''Modifiers'''
* ctrl
* Shift
'''Arrow'''
* Up
* Down
* Left
* Rigth
|}
|}

===Selection keys===

This is the best part, and is already covered [[Using Spring#The Selection Editor|earlier]] in this document.

Im sure you do remember Control+C key. Or Control+Z.

Well these keys, as all that are related to "selected units" are now fully editable.

i.e. You can map a key to do the same as Control+C BUT without the "center on commander" part.

This offers tremendous flexibility and enhaces control and gameplay to pro levels.

Look at [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=2190 this thread] to learn more on editing these selection keys through selectioneditor.exe.

[[Category:Playing]]

Using Spring

2006-06-02T14:44:54Z

Egarwaen: /* Select AI (CTRL+Q) */ Slight edit.

This is a fairly exhaustive description of controls, interface and features. For basic information, check the most current [http://cvs.sourceforge.net/viewcvs.py/*checkout*/springrts/taspring/README.html README.html] (should be mirrored [[Readme|here]])or [[Read_Me_First]]. For an introduction to the strategy and overall gameplay in XTA (and most mods based on the original Cavedog units) check out the [[Spring_guide%21]]. Other mods should have more specific documentation on their web sites or on the Wiki. Please see the links in the [[Mods]] section.

For more advanced/current information check the most recent [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/changelog.txt changelog] or the [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/phpbb/ TA Spring Forums].

==Camera Controls==

There are four camera modes in Spring. To change camera modes use CTRL+Middle Button (Mouse 3), CTRL+J or CTRL+Backspace (Also SHIFT+[Mouse 3,J or Backspace]). Middle button, Backspace or J toggle "free look" mode for the current camera view. This allows you to move the camera around using the mouse.

===Camera Modes===

There are four different camera modes in Spring. Everyone likes a different one. Try them all out to decide what you like best.

====Classic Overhead(TA) Style====
The default view, very similar to the view OTA had. Use the arrow keys or move the mouse to the edge of the screen to pan around the map. The scroll wheel zooms in and out. Ctrl+Scrolling will tilt the camera. Free look mode (click the middle mouse button) also pans around the map. It always "faces" straight north.

This is the easiest view for OTA players to use. It functions exactly the same as the OTA camera, so no new tricky controls are needed to properly enjoy the game. This view has recently had camera tilt added (see above), but still does not really show off the full glory of the Spring engine, as you are limited to one compass direction. It is the favorite view mode for most people, as most people played OTA or other similar RTS games with a traditional top-down view.

====Total War Style====
The same camera system used in the Total War series of games. It runs at a fixed height above the ground, which cannot be changed. Use the arrow keys or move the mouse to the edge of the screen to pan around the map. Scrolling the scroll wheel tilts the camera. Putting the mouse in the top corners of the screen rotates the view. Free look mode (click the middle mouse button) pans around the map.

This mode is good for those familiar with the Total War games. Like the OTA camera, it does not allow for full freedom of movement, so it does not show off the engine as much as it could.

====FPS Style====
In this view the camera is controlled just like in a first person shooter. Use arrow keys to fly forward/backward and strafe left/right. Hold the middle mouse button to aim the camera. Use the scroll wheel to zoom in and out.

This is the easiest camera to position. However, it can get quite tedious trying to control the camera in the middle of a battle. Its good for screenshots and FPS junkies.

====Rotatable Overhead Camera====

This is a new camera system invented by the SY's. You can change the camera height by scrolling. Use the arrow keys to pan around the map. The scroll wheel moves the camera up and down vertically. Free look mode (click the middle mouse button) lets you aim the camera from its current position.

This is perhaps the best camera, as it allows for totally free movement and aiming, but with some handy restrictions on the height. It is the second most popular view besides the OTA view. It's useful for both screenshots and actual gameplay.

====FPS "Mode" (C)====
Press 'C' to toggle "First Person Shooter Mode".

Controls:
*Up Arrow: Move in the direction the unit's base (legs or tracks) is facing
*Left Arrow: Rotate Legs to the left
*Right Arrow: Rotate Legs to the right
*Mouse: Aim default gun. The gun will lock on to any targets the cursor moves close to, making tracking and firing at targets much easier.
*Left Mouse Button: Shoot whatever guns the engine has decided to let you shoot at the current target.
*Right Mouse Button: Click to enter Free Fire Mode. In this mode, the AI will aim and fire for you as you move.

===General Function Keys===

For the most part, the function keys control what the camera sees, so they are listed here for lack of a better place for them.

*'''F1''': Toggles Contour Markings On/Off. These color coded contour markings represent the height of the map. One iteration through the colors (ie: red-green-blue-red) is 32 units high.
*'''F2''': Toggles Path map On/Off. The path map works the following way:
**'''Mobile Unit Selected''': If you have a mobile unit selected, then the pathmap shows where that specific unit can move (green) and where it cant (red). The greener the map, the better the unit can walk on that area. Zones that can't be walked or driven on are always solid red.
**'''Builder Selected''': When you have a builder selected and have clicked on a building in its build menu (i.e. a Kbot lab), the path map will show you where you can build that building. Its fairly easy to understand, with the green zones representing buildable areas, and the red zones representing the areas where you cannot build. Note that the marks represent the "center-point" of the build, so if your mouse cursor is over green, you can build there, even if there's red within the building's border.
*'''F3''': Moves the camera to the position of the last message. Messages can be from units or alerts placed on the minimap by your allies.
*'''F4''': Toggles Metal Map On/Off. If the map is green, there is metal there. If the map is black, there is no metal. If the map is white, there is lots of metal and it would be a good strategic place to hold. The camera automatically switches to Metal Map mode when placing Metal Extractor structures, and switches back when you stop placing these structures.
*'''F5''': Toggles the GUI On/Off. Good for taking screenshots.
*'''F6''': Toggles Sound On/Off. Self-explanatory.
*'''F7''': Toggles the Dynamic sky. If the game is running slowly, try turning this off to speed it up a little bit.
*'''F8''': Save the Game. Not currently supported.
*'''F9''': Show/Hide Unit Status. Unit Status bars are: Health, Building percentage, experience, and group numbers.
*'''F11/F12''': Screenshots. Takes a screenshot and saves it to TASpring/Screenshots/Screenshot###.jpg, where ### is the number of the screenshot.
*'''Pause''': Pauses the game. While the game is paused, you can still scroll around the map and issue orders, but nothing actually happens until the game's unpaused.

===Snapping/Panning Camera to a Specific View===
Right click(MOUSE2) on the mini-map to snap the center of the view to that point on the map. Right click and drag to move the camera around the map.

Press F3 to snap the camera view to the point of the last "message" ("Unit is under attack", "player 1 has placed a point: look here!").

Press T to lock the camera to track the currently selected units. The camera will move so that the selected units are always centered. Move the camera manually to stop the tracking.

==Selections/Groups/Group Commands/Group AI==

===The Selection Editor===

'''SelectionEditor.exe''' is a program installed in your install directory, which is used for editing your '''selectkeys.txt''' configuration file, allowing you to make your own shortcut keys for selecting/filtering selection.

This [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=2190 Forum Thread] has some good documentation about using the selection editor.

===Default Selection Controls===

Most of these controls can be customized in the selection editor.

====Selecting/Deselecting Units====
Unless you have issued a pending command(see [[#Left Mouse Control (Mouse 1)|Left Mouse Control (Mouse 1)]]), left-clicking(Mouse Button 1) a unit will clear the current selection and select the left-clicked unit, if a spot with no valid selection is clicked(empty space, ground, unowned units), the current selection will be cleared. Left-clicking and dragging will draw a box, any units within this box will be selected when you release the mouse button.

Shift+Left-clicking(including dragging a select box), unless you have a pending command, will add units to the current selection.

CTRL+Left-clicking (including dragging a select box), unless you have a pending command, will toggle selection. Units in the selection will be removed from it, units not in the selection will be added to it.

Double-left-clicking a unit that's not in a group will select all visible (camera bounds) units of the clicked type. Shift+Double-left-clicking will add all units of the double-clicked unit's type to the current selection.

CTRL+Z is a shortcut to select all owned units of the current selected type. For example, if a peewee and a brawler are selected, all peewees and brawlers will be selected.

CTRL+A is a shortcut (which can be eddited in Selection Editor) to select all owned units.
<br />
<table><tr><td>"Tooltips" are displayed in the bottom left of the current interface. If units are selected, this information is the sum of all information about all units in the selection. If you select a bank of 5 solar collectors, it will show the total health of all those units and the total energy they're producing. If you move the mouse over a "build-pic" in a list of units that can be built, it will show you the costs and stats associated with the unit represented by the "build-pic". If you have no selection, the tooltip will show information about what your mouse is over at that time. If your mouse is over a unit, it will show stats for that unit. Otherwise it will show information about the terrain.
</td><td>
[[Image:CommanderTooltip.png|thumb|120px|Commander Selected]]
[[Image:TerrainTooltip.png|thumb|120px|Terrain Hover (No Units Selected)]]
</td><td>
[[Image:BuildMexTooltip.png|thumb|120px|Metal Extractor Buildpic Hover]]
[[Image:RepairTooltip.png|thumb|120px|Repair Command Hover]]</td></tr></table>
[[Image:PeeweeGroupTooltip.png|frame|center|Group of units Selected]]

====Basic Unit Groups====

Spring supports assigning units to numbered groups. You can assign the currently selected units to a numbered group with CTRL+# (where # is a number key) which will put that number(#) above all selected units, then later, you can quickly select just these units by pressing that #, or add them to the current selection with SHIFT+#.

If a factory is set to a group, all units built by this factory will also be automatically assigned to this group. This is not a good idea with combat units unless you ungroup the factory before sending the units into battle, as it can prevent you from assigning certain orders, and result in newly-produced units doing stupid things.

Units can only be in one group at a time, so assigning a new group number to a unit will remove it from its current group.

Assigning a unit to a group overides normal double-clicking behaviour. If you double-click a member of a group, all units in the same group will be selected.

Also note that when you CTRL+# a group of units the old group with that number will no longer exist. If you intend to add aditional units to a group, you must first SHIFT+# the current members and then add (by holding SHIFT) the additional units to the selection group and the use CTRL+# to re-assign all the units to that group. A shortcut for this is holding down both SHIFT and CTRL and pressing a number(#) to add the current selection to that group, and select the entirety of that new group.

====Advanced Unit Groups with GroupAIs====

It is possible to use more than groups 0-9, but additional groups from 10 and up are controlled by a "Group AI".

See [[#Select_AI_.28CTRL.2BQ.29|Select AI (CTRL+Q)]] for information on these "Group AIs".

See [[#Assign/Select_Current_Group (Q)|Assign/Select Current Group (Q)]] to learn how to select these groups and add units to them.

==Issuing Orders/Building==

====Left Mouse Control (Mouse 1)====
As covered in [[#Selecting/Deselecting Units|Selecting/Deselecting Units]], left clicking is the primary control for selecting units. If a pending order is issued using the menu that appears on the left side of the screen or using a Hotkey, the mouse pointer will change to a symbol representing this action. If there is a pending order and you left click on a valid target for the action the selcted units will perform this action on that target, otherwise the units will "do their best" to perform the action, which could mean just cancelling the Order.

The menu will show all available commands for all selected units, except for wait and self destruct, in the menu. Mousing over a menu item will also display the Tooltip for this item.

====Right Mouse Control (Mouse 2)====
Right clicking will always give the selected units the default action for the target, if the order is invalid for some members of the group, it may or may not choose a suitable action for those units to perform.

====Queueing Orders====

Holding down SHIFT while giving a unit an order adds that order to its queue. Queueing orders means that you can tell a unit, or a group of units to do multiple tasks, and they will go off and do them in the order they were given without any more input from you. For example, if you you want a Construction Vehicle to build a line of defences around your base, you can select the structure you want, hold shift and click where you want them few times. The construction vehicle will now go and build (or try to build) all of the selected structures while you go and pay attention to other things. You can queue any order, and any number of orders. It would be possible (but not very smart) to order your commander to build a whole base for you while you go off and have lunch!

If you have a unit selected, holding SHIFT will show the unit's order queue. Green lines indicate movement orders, red lines attack orders, light blue lines patrol orders, dark blue lines Guard orders, and purple lines reclaim orders. Green rectangles will show where you have construction orders queued. If you have a construction unit selected, you'll see ghosted images of the buildings that unit is going to build inside the green rectangles, linked by green "movement order" lines.

You can remove an order from the order queue by holding shift and repeating the same order. This doesn't work very well on area or movement type orders but can be useful for cancelling the construction of an un-needed building.

Another use for this is to issue complicated movement orders. Say you want your army to attack your enemy, but you want to attack from the side, where they are their weakest. Just issuing one move command to attack the side of their base would send our units moving THROUGH your enemy's base to try to get to the side. This is not very good. But if you tell your units to move to a location AWAY from the base and them back towards it, by queuing up two or more move commands, this problem can be successfully avoided. Or you could tell your units to attack certain buildings in a certain order, for instance attack all the outlying metal extracors, and them go for the power plants in the base, they will follow these orders oblivious to anything else, while you go in and attack the other important things.

This is also good for building complicated patrol paths. Note that units given a patrol order will return to their starting point after executing the last patrol order, so queuing up other orders after a patrol order is very pointless.

When you issue a order without holding shift, it clears the unit's queue and immediately starts it executing that order.

Learning how to use your units' order queues is a vital part of the game.

===Building Buildings===
When a contruction unit is selected you will see images in it's command list (menu on the left) representing the buildings that it can build. These are referred to as "buildpics". Mousing over a buildpic will make the tooltip show information about the structure or unit. Clicking on a structure's buildpic will select it for contruction. If multiple units are selected, all available structures (and mobile units) will appear in the command list. Choosing to build a building when you have multiple units selected will usually assign all units to help build those buildings if this is a valid command.

When you build a unit with a non-factory you will need to choose a ground plate for it to be built on (represented by a grid on the map under your cursor).
<br><br>
{| align="center" width="500px" bgcolor="white" border="1px"
|- valign="top"
|
If the grid is green, you can build at that location.
|[[Image:BuildPlateOkay.png]]
|- valign="top"
|
If the grid is green with some yellow-green squares in it somewhere, it means the groundplate is blocked by a mobile unit or reclaimable feature. This situation should be resolved automaticly by the constructing unit.
|[[Image:BuildPlateResolvable.png]]
|- valign="top"
|
If the grid has any red squares in it, this is an invalid build position, the non red squares of the grid represent unobstructed parts of the obstructed grid.
|[[Image:BuildPlateBad.png]]
|}

====Build (select structure then left-click)====

Builds whatever structure selected in the location clicked by moving the builder unit selected there.

====Build Queue (select structure then shift + left-click)====

Puts the build order into your unit's order queue, just as with any other order.

====Build Line (SHIFT)====
(select structure then shift + left-hold-drag then release left mouse)
{|
|- valign="top"
|
Adds a straight line of the selected structure into your unit's build queue starting where you first depressed the leftmouse and ending at the location you release the leftmouse.
|[[Image:BUILDSHIFT.png|thumb|200px|Shift-Build]]
|}

====Build Grid Line (SHIFT+CTRL)====
(select structure then shift+ctrl+left-hold-drag then release left mouse)
{|
|- valign="top"
|
Adds a straight line of the selected structure into your unit's build queue starting where you first depressed the leftmouse and ending aligned to the location you release. This line, however, will be either vertical or horizontal and aligned to the map's grid.
|[[Image:BUILDCTRLSHIFT.png|thumb|200px|Shift-Ctrl-Build]]
|}

====Build Perimeter (SHIFT+CTRL+ALT)====
(select structure then shift+ctrl+alt+left-hold-drag then release left mouse)
{|
|- valign="top"
|
Adds an empty square or rectangle box of the selected structures to your unit's build queue. The location you first depressed the leftmouse is one corner border and the location you release is the opposing corner. If you move the mouse straight up your box will look like a grid alligned vertical line.
|[[Image:BUILDCTRLALTSHIFT.png|thumb|200px|Shift-Ctrl-Alt-Build]]
|}

====Build Block (SHIFT+ALT)====
(select structure then shift + alt + left-hold-drag then release left mouse)
{|
|- valign="top"
|
Adds a filled in square or rectangle box of the selected structures to your unit's build queue. The location you first depressed the leftmouse is one corner border and the location you release is the opposing corner. If you move the mouse straigt up your box will look like a grid alligned vertical line.
|[[Image:BUILDSHIFTALT.png|thumb|200px|Shift-Alt-Build]]
|}

====Build "Wall" (select structure THEN shift + ctrl + left-click a Unit)====
{|
|- valign="top"
|
Add a wall of the selected structure surrounding the clicked unit to your builders build queue.
|[[Image:BUILDCTRLSHIFTUNIT.png|thumb|200px|Shift-Ctrl-Build]]
|}

====Space Build (MOUSE4/Z and MOUSE5/X)====
(select structure then shift + ctrl + mouse5/mouse4 or z/x)
{|
|- valign="top"
|
Spring allows you to automatically specify the spacing between buildings for batch (line, perimeter, block, wall) orders. This spacing is set with the z (decrease by one) or x (increase by one) keys. The default spacing is zero, with the buildings pressed right up against each other. Each level of spacing gives you an extra 2x2-sized (LLT-sized for OTA-based mods) space in between each structure on all 4 dimensions. Similarly, each click of the spacing contract button(z) removes that amount of space. You cannot remove spaces when structures are already placed with no spacing between them.

This is most useful when you're holding down SHIFT+CTRL, SHIFT+ALT, or SHIFT+CTRL+ALT to give a line/perimeter/block order. When doing this, you can actually see the spacing between the structures increase or decrease.

Note: The mapping of this function to Z and X is as of 0.70b1. As Z and X are used by many players for other units, it's valuable to note that the key mappings for "mouse4" and "mouse5" can be changed in the "uikeys.txt" file in your spring directory. If you have a 5-button mouse, buttons 4 and 5 are probably the side buttons. Experiment with your mouse to find out where they are on it.
|[[Image:BUILDCTRLALTSHIFTX.png|thumb|200px|Spaced-Shift-Ctrl-Alt-Build]]
[[Image:BUILDSHIFTALTX.png|thumb|200px|Spaced-Shift-Alt-Build]]
[[Image:BUILDCTRLSHIFTX.png|thumb|200px|Spaced-Shift-Ctrl-Build]]
[[Image:BUILDSHIFTX.png|thumb|200px|Spaced-Shift-Build]]
|}

===Building Mobile Units (Building with Factories)===

Click on the picture of the unit you want to queue up for building. You can queue up many units this way. A number will appear over the buildpic, showing how many units of that type are in the queue.

Hold SHIFT while clicking a buildpic to order 5 units at one time, hold CTRL while clicking to order 20, hold CTRL+SHIFT while clicking to order 100. Hold ALT while clicking a buildpic to cancel the current construction and starting the constuction of that unit immediately. Right clicking a buildpic will cancel 1,5,20 or 100 orders for that unit using the same SHIFT and/or CTRL modifiers mentioned before. Note that you can use, say, ALT+SHIFT to put five build orders for that unit at the start of the queue.

Assigning a group number to a factory will cause the factory to pass this group number to the units it builds.

You can give factories a Move, Guard, Patrol, or other order and the factory will pass it on to the units it builds. You can use this to choose a better place for new units to go after being built, or to send them straight into construction or a battle without micromanaging them. This includes assigning queued orders (for example: multiple move points to get a unit out of the base in a straight line and then a guard repair order on a specific large unit under construction and then a guard order back on the original factory to increase build speed). You can also issue orders to the unit currently under construction by clicking on it first instead of the factory.

Note that it is currently possible for units to get stuck in factories. Thus, it's a good idea for the first order to always be a move order that takes the unit directly out of the factory doors.

Construction/Repair units can be assigned to guard a factory to increase the speed of production for each of the units the factory makes. They can also be assigned to Repair the unit currently under construction to just help with its construction.

===Commands and Defaults and Hotkeys===
It is assumed that if a unit does not have an ability, it will not be able to perform that action, and will ignore any orders of that type given to a group it's part of. Priorities have been noted.

====Active State (X)====
This command toggles the "active state" of a unit, turning it on or off.
If a unit can be turned off this will usually stop it's prodution and/or use of energy and/or metal and/or stop it from doing something and/or change it's stats.
For example, turning off a radar jamming building would make it stop drawing power and prevent it from jamming radar. Turning off a solar collector would stop it from producing power and cause it to "close up", increasing it's armor.
This behaviour is unit-scriptable so it could technically do anything the designer of the unit wants it to do.

====Attack (A)====
Orders the unit to attack the target or location. If ordered to attack a unit, the selected unit or building will keep firing at the targeted unit/building until it is dead. If the targeted unit moves out of range, or out of sight, the selected unit will move to follow it and continue to attack it. Note that units are very stupid about this, and will continue to execute this order even if they come under heavy attack.

If ordered to attack ground, the unit will never stop until told to do so by the user. Note that units automatically attack any visible enemy units inside their range, and will pursue them (depending on their [[#Move State|Move State]]) a certain distance before returning to their starting location.

====Capture====
The unit will move up to the targeted unit or building and attempt to convert it to your team. So if the enemy has built a Geothermal power plant and forgotten to protect it, grab a nearby construction unit and try to capture it! Note that this takes quite a while, and it is not a good idea to try to capture a unit that is shooting at you. The closer the unit is to 0 health the faster it will be captured. Be careful to set your Commander's [[#Fire State|fire state]] to "hold fire" if you are trying to capture a unit with him, as his laser will likely detroy the target before it is captured.

====Cloak (K)====
Makes a unit inivisble to the enemy's units. Enemy units will not be able to see a unit while it is cloaked, but will still be able to spot it (and fire at it) if they can see the unit VIA radar. Note that this usually uses an immense amount of energy, uses even more energy when the unit's moving, and units uncloak for a few seconds when they shoot. This means that you might want to set the unit to Hold Fire, so the unit doesn't accidentally reveal itself. Cloaking a unit also causes atacking units to lose their target lock and move on to a new target, unless they have radar coverage.

====DGun (D)====
Disintegrator Gun. A weapon used by the Commander. It is a very powerful gun that will kill ANY unit in game. Use it in early game to ward off rushes, or against super units like the Krogoth, or the Goliath. Be careful, as it also destroys your units and buildings at the same time! Uses alot of energy to fire, so make sure you have the required energy before attmpting this.

====Fire State====
Fire States are fairly simple to work out, and are fairly self explanatory. There are three different states, each with their advantages and disadvantages.

''' Fire at Will :''' This is the default setting for all new units. It makes units fire at any visible enemy unit within range. It is good for general destruction.

''' Hold Fire :''' This makes units never fire unless ordered to. Even if they are attacked, they will not do anything. This is good for sneaking units around the back of a base, as they will not draw any attention to themselves, or for units that draw a lot of power when they fire, or which have a long reload time.

''' Return Fire :''' Units only fire at untis that shoot at them. Again, this is good for sneak attacks, but makes them a little smarter and better at defending themselves.

====Guard (G)====
The current selection will "guard" the target owned or allied unit.

When a unit is ordered to guard another unit it will:

1) Attempt to follow it's target anywhere, staying relatively close to it.

2) Defend the target if it becomes threatened and the guard has weapons.

3) Repair if the target if it gets damaged and the guard has repair capabilities.

4) Assist in any construction projects the target is working on if the guard can repair. This also applies to construction units guarding a factory.

5) Repair a unit that has been just resurrected (if capable). But it will not attempt to assist in the actual resurrection, even if the guard can resurrect.

Guard orders "chain". So if Unit 1 guards Unit 2, Unit 2 guards Unit 3, and Unit 3 is told to build or repair or attack, Units 1 and 2 would also join Unit 3 in doing what it was ordered to do.

====High Trajectory====
If this option is available, click the button to toggle this state.

A unit with High Trajectory mode enabled will shoot almost vertically, allowing it to shoot over hills as well as other units and masking the direction/source of the shot.

Using this mode reduces accuracy greatly and also the increased distance of the higher trajectory will increase the amount of time a shot will take to reach it's target.

With some mods, units may gain extra firepower or a larger area of effect when told to use High Trajectory mode.

====Move (M)====
There are 4 ways to move a group of units in Spring:

1) The usual move to point (works for single units or groups, pretty standard.)

2) Holding down on ctrl while giving a move order issues a "Move in formation" command. In this case, formation means whatever formation or configuration the units were in when they were given the order.

3) Holding down Alt during a move command issues a "Move into a square". Units will try to move into a nice, organised formation. However, this rarley ever works, as units tend to shove each other out of the way when trying to get into position.

4) Click and drag at the waypoint and it issues a "Move to this line" command. In this case the line can be oriented however the user wants. The shorter the line the deeper the units will line up. The longer the line, the more the units will be able to line up along with it. If there's enough units in the group they will form double or even triple lines, which may cause some shoving, as with the "Square Move" command.

'''Notes:''' Certain formation commands might not work on every type of aircraft.

By turning on [[#Repeat|Repeat]], units will move back into formation when shoved out of position. However, this should be used with caution, as it can lead to problems when trying to move units later.

Left-clicking with a unit selected is usually as good as pressing the "M" key if the selected point doesn't have any objects at that location.

====Move State====

Like [[#Fire State|Fire State]], this controls how the unit will maneuver in response to enemy units. Units set to Hold Position will not move very far from their current position, if they move from it at all. Units set to Maneuver will move a moderate distance from their current position while chasing enemies. Units set to Roam will move however they want to.

Maneuver is usually the most sensible setting here, as Roam leaves you open to a clever enemy pulling your units into heavy defences.

====Patrol (P)====

A unit given a command to patrol will move back and forth between its current position and the taget location. Holding CTRL when giving a patrol command to a selection with more then one unit will cause the units to move to a location relative the the target point compared to the distance of the unit from the center of the selection. Holding SHIFT while issueing a series of patrol orders will cause the unit to repeat this command, moving from current location to the targets and "circle around" through the points on the queued path.

When a unit is patroling, it will do whatever it can to "help out" along the path of it's patrol route. A construction unit will aid in construction projects, a combat unit will engage enemies, etc. How far it will go out of it's designated route is partially defined by line of sight, radar coverage, [[#Move State|move state]], and [[#Fire State|fire state]].

Examples of Patrol Behaviour:

*If a unit that can repair patrols within range of a damaged (or under contsruction) owned or allied unit, the patrolling unit will repair the damaged unit.

*If a unit that can attack patrols within range of an enemy it will attack the enemy unit.

====Reclaim (E)====

Reclaiming will break down something and give you metal/energy from it. Only certain units (namely, construction units and the Commander) have reclaim capabilities. Wrecks, enemy units, features, and your own units are reclaimable.

Energy and metal will be added to storage when reclaiming process is complete. You must have enough storage space to hold the energy/metal, or you will lose it!

'''Default Behavior:''' Simply clicking on a feature, a wreck, or an enemy unit with a construction unit will reclaim it by default. Hitting 'E' and dragging with the left mouse button issues an area reclaim order, and tells the unit to reclaim any wrecks or features in that area.

Assigning multiple units to reclaim a target will not increase the speed at which the target is reclaimed.

====Repair (R)====
When repairing a damaged unit, uses a percentage of the metal and energy costs associated with a damaged unit to increase the speed at which a unit regains health. This percentage is set per-mod, and many mods have it set to zero, making repairs free. When repairing a unit that is still being constructed the unit will help build the target, increasing the speed at which the unit is completed but also increasing the rate at which your resources are consumed.

The repair command is cancelled when the target's health reaches 100%, so if a unit under construction is damaged the repair command will complete the building of the target and then continue to repair until the unit is at full health.
Valid targets are any damaged units and units currently being constucted.

This is the default command for owned and ally units that are not at full health, including units being constructed by other units and factories, when a construction unit is selected.

The more units that are assigned to repair another unit, the faster the unit will be constructed/restored to full health, but the energy and metal costs will increase accordingly.

====Assign/Select Current Group (Q)====
This key has a double function.

If you have one unit belonguing to a group selected, when pressing Q it will select all the units that belong to this group.

If several units are selected, and one belongs to any group, then, when pressing Q it will assign ALL the selected units to this group, and after that will select the group.

It works with AI groups as well as user-specified groups.

See [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/wiki/Using_Spring#Default_Selection_Controls Default selection Controls] for more info on groups.

====Repeat====

When turned on, Repeat moves any orders that have been completed to the back of the order queue. For instance, if you tell a unit to more to one side of the base, and then to the other side of the base, it would keep going back and forwards forever, because when it completed the first move command, it would place that command at the back of the queue again. This is useful when building units. If you want a factory to continuously pump out a Samson, then a Flash, then two Stumpy's, issue the orders, turn on repeat, and watch the units roll out!

====Restore====

Drag an area of terrain to restore the terrain to it's original form if it has been "deformed" by explosions or the contruction of a building.

====Resurrect====

In XTA only the Arm F.A.R.K. and the Core necro can use this order. Use this to ressurect dead units. If you see some wreakage on the map from some dead units, select a FARK or Necro and ressurect the dead units to have them fight along side your army. A good way to gain the upper hand later in game is to ressurect your opponent's army after a battle. This does take a lot of energy and metal(half as much as building the unit originally), and ressurected units will start on 1 health, so are very vunerable.

Ressurect is the default order for corpses from destroyed units, this unfortunately includes wreackage that can't acctually be resurrected.(Tip: if you cannot tell what unit the wreakage was then most likely you cannot resurrect it)

Dragging this order as an area will cause all selected units to ressurect all valid targets in that area. If multiple units are given a common ressurect order, the target will be resurrected faster but only one of them(probably the one the engine decides acctually completed the process) will try to restore it to health. In the case of an area command the units who do not stay behind to repair the target will move on to a new target.

====Select AI (CTRL+Q)====

Press Control+Q or choose "Select AI" from the Menu to assign a "[[Group AI]]" to the currently selected units.

Setting an AI will generate a "group" from that selection of units using a number above 10.

In Spring, the term "Group AI" stands more for an aid or "helper" than for a Complete Control AI (as NTAI, ZCAIN, JCAI).

The following [[Group AI]]s ship with Spring. More might be available from other sources.

None<br>
[[Simple Formation]]<br>
[[Central Build AI]]<br>
[[Metal Maker AI]]<br>
Default = Will assign default AI for that unit (?)

====Self Destruct (CTRL+D)====
Will detonate the selected units/buildings in a very spectacular explosion after a specific count-down (default is 5 seconds). Use this when destroying units/building that are in the way, or when detonationg mines or crawling bombs. A way to literally go out with a bang is to press Ctrl+A (Select All), Ctrl+D (Self Destruct). Note that this will make you lose the game, but is very spectacular!

====Stop (S)====
Makes the selected units stop any queued commands immediately. They will not automatically stop attacking units, unless their fire state is set to Hold Fire, but they will cancel any ongoing attack orders, allowing them to select and engage targets based on their default AI.

====Wait (W)====

Start issuing your chain of commands (Holding Shift). BEFORE a command that you want your units to wait for a go command to execute, hit Shift+W, then continue queuing up orders. Now, to cancel the first wait queued on this group, and have them continue with the rest of the queue, select the units when they're waiting and hit W. Many of these wait waypoints can be chained together. Note that if you hit W before some or all of the selected units have completed the command before the wait, only those that have completed the preceding command will continue.

Units are automatically issued a "stop waiting" command when loaded into and unloaded from a transport.

==Chat, Cheats, and Text Commands==

Pressing ENTER will bring up a "say:" prompt which you can use to communicate with other players or issue "Text Commands". To send a message to all who are connected, type your message and press ENTER. To send a message only to your allies, preface your message with "a:". To send a message to any spectators, type "s:" then your message and press ENTER. To enter a Text Command, simply type the command and press ENTER.

===Basic Text Commands===

<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, its CPU usage percentage and their ping delay in the bottom right corner of the screen. This is on by default.</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>.clock</td><td>Shows you the elapsed game time in minutes and seconds in the bottom right corner of the screen. This is on by default.</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>.take</td><td>Places all allied units that are owned by players who have lost connection to the server under your control. It is generally considered polite to consult with any still-connected allies before doing this. In a Commander Dies, Game Ends game, a player only loses once they have lost ''all'' their Commanders, and this mechanism will give them a second one.</td>
</tr>

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

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

</table>

===Cheat Codes===

<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>Insta-build; everything is built immediatly. (doesn't work on things already under construction, only on new ones)</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, .give all, 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. Use the "all" switch to get ALL the units in the current mod.</td>
</tr>

</table>

==Map Doodles==

Hold the ` key to draw on the screen with the mouse. This is the main gameplay screen, not the minimap. Only you and your allies can see these marks. Use this tool to mark out territory or warn of impending attacks, or mark enemy bases or play tic-tac-toe before the game... Be creative but not annoying.

Hold ` while pressing the left mouse button (MOUSE1) to draw a line.

Hold ` and double left click, then type a label then press ENTER to add a labelled point. This also causes a minimap ping and chat message notification.

Hold ` while clicking the middle mouse button (MOUSE3/Scrollwheel Button) to add an empty point. This also causes a minimap ping and chat message notification.

Hold ` and clicking the right mouse button (MOUSE2) will erase lines or points.

Note: Apparently on some keyboards, the ` is replaced with Ã‚Â§, and it is also known as the ~ or tilde key. Usually this is the key between the Tab and Esc keys in the upper left corner of the keyboard. It can also be changed within the "uikeys.txt" file if you still can't figure it out.

On azerty keyboards * and ÃƒÂ¹ (near return) works but not ~

== Customizing keyboard shortcuts ==

Well there are several categories of keys in Spring that can be customized.

===Unit Action Keys===

These are keys that control unit actions. They're all listed [[Using Spring#Commands and Defaults and Hotkeys|above]] and in the [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/wiki/Readme#Key_assignments Key Assignments] section of the README. The README can also be found in the docs folder of your Spring installation.

These keys are hardcoded and cannot be changed. While a unit is selected, 'A' will always issue an attack order and 'M' will always issue a move order. You can still bind the key to something else in uikeys.txt or the Selection Keys Editor, but your binding will only work when you don't have any units selected.

===User Interface keys===

{{Uikeys_Commands}}

Many key bindings related to the user interface can be edited through the '''uikeys.txt''' file found in Spring folder. You should be able to work out the format by skimming it, it's fairly simple. Key bindings load upon game start, and can't be changed in middle of the game.

A few keys related to the UI can't be changed:

- Mouse button functions.

- Behaviour of shift/control

- Behaviour of shift/control + Middle mouse button.

The correct way to bind keys is to put single-quotes around letter keys, like this:

''bind 'x' mouse3''

You can also comment out any bind to quickly disable it by putting "//" before it:

''//bind home increaseViewRadius''

Function keys and some other keys don't need single quotes. They're listed in the "Special Bindable Keys" list, below.

{| style="float: center; background-color: white;"
|Special Bindable Keys:
{|
|
'''Function'''
* Home
* End
* insert
* delete
* space
* f1-f12
* esc
* `
* Ã‚Â§
* enter
* backspace
* pause
* pageup
* pagedown
|
'''Modifiers'''
* ctrl
* Shift
'''Arrow'''
* Up
* Down
* Left
* Rigth
|}
|}

===Selection keys===

This is the best part, and is already covered [[Using Spring#The Selection Editor|earlier]] in this document.

Im sure you do remember Control+C key. Or Control+Z.

Well these keys, as all that are related to "selected units" are now fully editable.

i.e. You can map a key to do the same as Control+C BUT without the "center on commander" part.

This offers tremendous flexibility and enhaces control and gameplay to pro levels.

Look at [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=2190 this thread] to learn more on editing these selection keys through selectioneditor.exe.

[[Category:Playing]]

Absolute Annihilation/Units

2006-05-31T16:39:46Z

Egarwaen: /* Core Lvl 2 KBots */ Voyeur not intentionally removed from 1.48 after all.

This is the Practical AA Guide. It has information such as ways to best use units, and things to avoid. To answer more technical questions, such as exactly how much damage per second a weapon is capable of, or precise build costs of a particular unit, you may want to visit the [http://ta-aa.sourceforge.net/modweb Technical AA Guide].

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 in the first few minutes of the game, and destroys any reclaimable wreckage. His laser should be more than enough against small groups of raiders. Whatever you do, '''do not''' D-Gun your own structures or units unless it's that or lose the game.

The Commander has a small but constant auto-repair, which makes him better able to handle fire from raiders and sporadic artillery hits.

==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 Resource Structures===

====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 Collector====

More expensive than a [[#Wind Generator|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 Collector====

The Advanced Solar Generator produces about four times as much energy (75 per tick) as a regular [[#Solar Collector|Solar Collector]], but costs correspondingly more metal and significantly more energy. Their advantage over regular Solar Collectors is that they have a smaller footprint (4x4 instead of 5x5). They cannot close into a more armored form, but they do have more health.

====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.

Geothermal powerplants, much like the level 2 Moho Geothermal Powerplants, have a nasty explosion. Be careful what you build around them since they will be a prime target of opportunity.

Absolute Annihilation gives Arm increased output from geothermal powerplants.

====Energy/Metal Storage====

As the name indicates, these structures provide you with additional energy and metal storage. Since all resource structures in AA come with some 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 usually be using up your metal as fast as you can without stalling. ''However'' if you're reclaiming a lot of things, especially any [[#Commander|Commander]] wreckage laying about, you'll need these in order to make sure you receive all your metal.

===Arm Level 1 Resource Structures===

====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 necessary. Watch out for this when killing them if the enemy has some units nearby, as paralyzed units are easy prey.

===Core Level 1 Resource Structures===

====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 Resource Structures===

====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. Unlike Moho Mines in [[XTA]], they only cost 25 energy to operate. 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.

Absolute Annihilation gives Core slightly better energy output on their fusion plants.

====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.

Absolute Annihilation gives Arm a hefty boost to their output from Moho Geothermal Powerplants.

====Advanced Fusion Reactor====

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

Absolute Annihilation gives Core a hefty boost to their Advanced Fusion Reactor's energy output. However, this is somewhat offset by the greater cost a Core player must pay if he or she wants to cloak their reactor.

===Arm Level 2 Resource Structures===

====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 Resource Structures===

====Moho 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. Behemoths have the longest range of any structure except for LRPC/RFLRPCs.

==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 by either side. Yes, this means that you can't use radar to detect enemy units inside the area of effect of one of your jammers! 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.

In the late game, as more and more of the map gets covered by radar jammers, Dragon's Eyes become one of the most effective ways to keep track of your enemy's activities. They're virtually undectable once built and can't be fooled by radar jamming or stealth, though they still can't see cloaked units.

===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 [[#Bulldog|Bulldogs]] or [[#Goliath|Goliaths]], can drive over Dragon's Teeth, destroying them in the process.

Commanders and construction planes have a speed advantage in building these, as construction bots and vehicles do a small animation whenver they start or finish constructing something. This slows them down significantly on such cheap structures.

These can be used in lines to block an enemy advance. This is useful to prevent fast raiding units from simply rushing past your defences to attack key buildings in the back of your base. They can also be used in small lines or squares surrounding a defensive structure such as a [[#Sentinel/Gaat_Gun_Heavy_Laser_Tower|heavy laser tower]]. This can provide some protection from small units with direct fire weapons such as the [[#Flash/Instigator|Flash tank]].

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

One interesting use of Dragon's Teeth is terrain modification. DTs have a substantially higher "slope tolerance" (the maximum slope they can be built on) than most structures. They can be reclaimed to recover much of the metal that went into their construction. This makes them excellent for "clearing terrain" for building other structures. Just build a single DT or a small block of them, reclaim them, and build on the now-flattened land! This is great for putting up LLTs on hills, but can also be used to place Guardians/Punishers in unexpected locations. (Tip from Felix the Cat)

===Level 1 Defensive Structures===

====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 abbreviated as "LLT". They're good for covering mostly-blocked approaches to your base (like hills), as they can kill most light raiding forces.

A good way to defend against early to mid-game attacks is to build 3 LLTs in a loose cluster at the top of any hills or in choke points. Then build a couple of radar towers behind them to help spot enemies.

Throughout any game, even to the end, LLTs should be built in key areas of your base. They will come in handy in case an enemy slips through your outer perimeter.

====Beamer/Heavy Light Laser Turret (HLLT)====

Designed as a more permanent defensive structure for highly valuable inner-base areas as well as mid-game frontline duty. Beamers shoot a constant beam (get it? eh? eh?) which causes steady damage. This makes it ideal for dealing with attacks from both heavier units like Hammers/Thuds or much lighter units like Fleas, where it can instantly move on to the next target when the first one is destroyed, rather than waiting for a lengthy cool-down period. These also have a slightly longer range than vanilla LLTs.

The HLLT, on the other hand, is pretty much just a beefed up LLT. It has two turrets, allowing it to target two enemies simultaneously or concentrate on a single one. They have more than their fair share of hit points.

====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.

====Packo/SAM Anti-air Turret====

These are much more durable than standard missile towers and fire homing missiles quite rapidly. They are good at taking out large number of lighter planes quickly, making them a very effective fighter swarm counter. They will struggle to kill level 2 gunships and bombers unless used in large numbers, making flak cannons and level 2 missile towers a better choice against these units. The Packo can retract into a shielded underground state, largely protecting it from ground attack. The SAM just has more hitpoints.

====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.''

Besides Mercury/Screamer towers, these are the longest-range anti-air units you can build.

These buildings do extra damage against bombers.

====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 trajectory", which causes it to fire more damaging but highly inaccurate shells with a large area of effect in a high arc, or "Low trajectory", 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.

These do extra damage against amphibious units, and are therefore a good choice for defending a shoreline against a "fully submerged" opponent.

====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.

====Dargon's Claw/Dragon's Maw====

These are stealthy defensive structures (really stationary units) that can disguise themselves as Dragon's Teeth. When disguised, they can take significant amounts of damage, just like any "pop-up" weapon. If an enemy wanders into range, they'll reveal themselves and attack with a short-ranged lightning cannon (Arm) or flamethrower (Core). When destroyed, they leave behind ordinary Dragon's Teeth.

===Level 2 Defensive Structures===

====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 or nuclear weapons.

====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 totally under water, and so can only be targeted 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 must be constructed before launch) all the way across any map, each of which can destroy a substantial portion of an enemy base. Very few things (such as specialized structures that are in an armoured state by default) can survive a nuke blast, though the missiles can be easily intercepted by Protectors/Fortitudes.

====Juno====

The Juno is a much more limited ballistic 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. A cluster of these structures packed into a chokepoint or lined up in front of some Annihilators/Doomsday Machines can do quite a lot of damage. When not in use, they fold away into a concrete bunker, making them effectively immune to long-range artillery and even nuke strikes.

===Arm Level 2 Defensive Structures===

====Detonator====

The Detonator fires ballistic EMP missiles that paralyze units caught inside the blast. Their projectiles cannot be intercepted, making them very good at "preparing" enemy defensive structures or units for an attack. Like nukes and anti-nukes, the Detonator must build each shot before it can be used.

===Core Level 2 Defensive Structures===

====Inferno====

Wide-arc flamethrower. Good against swarms or for use in conjunction with several other Infernos against bigger units, or simply as one more extra support turret in a massively fortified front line.

====Catalyst====

A short-range tactical nuke launcher. The Catalyst's ballistic missile cannot be intercepted by anti-nukes but do significantly less damage than full-sized nukes. This makes them poor at destroying bases, but very good at softening up an enemy defensive line before an attack.

==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 KBots===

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====

Slightly 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 have a long range but 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 are shorter-ranged than Rocko/Storm rockets, but can 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 KBots===

====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 KBots===

The Core has no unique Level 1 KBots.

===Common Lvl 2 KBots===

====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-conceived 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 reanimated corpses of the enemy's attack force into your service to supplement 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 useful for getting past an enemy's defences. They also have a nanolathe, which can be used to reclaim wreckage, Dragon's Teeth, or slow enemy construction projects, though this will probably reveal your spy's location very quickly..

===Arm Lvl 2 KBots===

====Fido====

A very average level 2 KBot. Weaker than a [[#Zeus|Zeus]] or [[#Maverick|Maverick]] but faster and cheaper. Versatile but not particularly good at any one thing. The Fido has two fire modes, which can be toggled by switching its "Active State" between "On" and "Off". The default uses a long-range, slow-firing direct-fire gauss cannon. It's fairly accurate but relatively low-damage. The "Ballistic Cannon" mode fires a less-accurate shell that travels in a higher, ballistic arc, allowing it to fire over other units, Dragon's Teeth, and hills.

====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. Average durability and speed for an L2 unit, but capable of doing impressive damage. It destroys L1 units and light defences with ease. The Maverick also auto-repairs in combat and has a longer visual range than most units, making one or two good "spotters" for a unit of other KBots.

====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 opponents 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.

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.

====Scarab====

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.

===Core Lvl 2 KBots===

====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.

====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. Longer weapon range and more power, as well as a much faster fire rate. 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. Good at countering light Level 3 KBots. Like the Can, it has a combat auto-repair.

====Morty====

A support KBot with a very big gun. Has a long range and fires fast, 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 torpedoes 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 or Raiders near the front lines to reinforce your assault force can be very effective!

====Dominator====

Another artillery support KBot, the Dominator fires vertically-launched rockets. These are only slightly longer-ranged 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. Combined with radar jamming, a Skuttle can blast an impressive hole in even the toughest defences.

====Leejen====

A light and fast but totally unarmed scout KBot. Cheap unit, good for scouting ahead of a force for things like stealth units, mines, and enemy defences. Has a very short-ranged radar for spotting cloaked units, etc.

===Common Lvl 3 KBots===

====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 Annihilators/Doomsday Machines, 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, or a few Sumos, though it can outrun the Sumos.

====Marauder====

A medium amphibious assault unit. Very fast moving on land, and can be 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 bypass enemy defences.

====Aegis====

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 KBots===

====Krogoth====

An [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/wiki/Uberweapon Uberweapon]. Costs absurd amounts of resources. Slightly more powerful and tougher than the Orcone, and features a shotgun-style blaster which is ideal for concentrated fire on a single heavy target or spread fire over a swarm of lesser units.

====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 vulnerable 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. Juggernauts have a lot of hit points, so they can also be used as a sort of "rolling front line". Should ideally have a group of support construction units for when its job is done and it's lost a lot of health.

====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. In groups of three or more, these can tear apart an enemy base in as little as 60 seconds. They should be guarded well by units such as Sumos, Cans, and Karganeths.

==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 Vehicles===

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 equivalent 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.

====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 equivalent 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 (to their peril).

===Arm Lvl 1 Vehicles===

====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 Vehicles===

====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 Vehicles===

====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 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. They are slower than other forms of mobile artillery but tougher, making them good at assaulting enemy defensive structures.

====Triton/Croc====

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. The usual limitations of amphibious units apply.

===Arm Lvl 2 Vehicles===

====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.

====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 Vehicles===

====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, especially since it auto-repairs even during combat. 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!

====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. Its shots have a fairly large scatter, making them great at wiping out clustered defences or resource buildings.

====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.

==Aircraft==

Aircraft are airborne combat units. They're fast, can cross any terrain, but can take very little damage. Most aircraft are specialized, and designed for a specific task. Against units not built specifically to counter them, aircraft are very effective. Against anti-air units, they are at a significant disadvantage. Generally air units are not a base busting assault weapon, but anyone who assumes that they are useless will play at a significant disadvantage. Aircraft can be put to several uses, even in the late game:

Scouting: You've built a [[#Big Bertha/Intimidator|VLRPC]] (or ten). The sounds of each successive shell exploding in your enemy's base is slowly ratcheting up the pressure. But how do you know whether the pride of your army is destroying important enemy buildings, or killing peewees and solar collectors? Build some airplanes and have a look. You can then aim your Big Bertha at a worthy target. If your enemies build LRPCs, but only one player builds planes, guess who will find and destroy the opposing LRPCs first?

A few light aircraft can also be a great investment ahead of a ground attack. You can spot holes in the defence to aim for or unexpected resistance to retreat from before taking losses. They can provide line of sight for long range artillery to start pounding opposing defences. And what is that blob of units coming towards you on the radar? A plane can tell you if its 20 peewees or 20 goliaths. Any empty space on the map? Send a plane to scout at random intervals; you might find and prevent an opponent preparing a nasty surprise under cover of a radar jammer.

In general terms, scout aircraft are invaluable, as they're a very reliable mechanism for gathering precise information about the battlefield, even through heavy radar jamming and enemy fire.

Overwhelming: Focus efforts on building a large devestating force of bombers or gunships. With enough effort or against an unsuspecting victim, you may create a large enough air attack to devestate a base with insufficient anti-air defence. If your opponent ''does'' build enough anti-air defences, the setback to your economy from this effort will be serious.

Defence: An often overlooked aspect of aircraft is their use for base defence. They have the advantage of being able to intercept an attack from any direction quickly. If the attack force does not include a significant anti air componenent, your planes can attack while taking very little damage in return. [[#Hawk/Vamp|Hawks/Vamps]] are particularly good at this, and while they're unlikely to do fatal damage to ground units, they're excellent at intercepting and destroying enemy airstrikes. A few Arm Stilletos can provide an effective defence against nearly any attack.

Strategic strikes: Sometimes your opponent has a key building you badly want to destroy. It might be a [[#Retaliator/Silencer|nuclear silo]], [[#Protector/Fortitude|nuclear defence]], or a [[#Vulcan/Buzzsaw|rapid fire LRPC]]. Perhaps a [[#Moho Geothermal Powerplant|moho geothermal]], or [[#Advanced Fusion Reactor|advanced fusion]] that could take half the base with it if you can kill it. Or a [[#Commander|Commander]]. A determined bombing assault can often do the trick. Air has an unequaled ability to rapidly move and concentrate force to attack a key location. Just make sure the target is worth the effort, as in most games the planes that will get destroyed by anti-air in such a strike will represent a significant investment of resources. You'll need to use ground forces to capitalize on the strike.

All aircraft have a limited-range sonar, allowing them to see submerged units immediately under them. Aircraft generally cost larger amounts of energy, and lower amounts of metal when compared with other units. This can energy stall an unprepared player who tries to build an air force too early in the game. Aircraft also take a long time to build. Building an Air Factory as your first factory is a high-risk move guaranteed to slow down economic expansion drastrically.

===Common Lvl 1 Aircraft===

====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. Carries flares to reduce the effectiveness of guided AA weapons. They're best used as scouts, to spot targets for long-range artillery or attack forces. As they're cheap, fast, airborne, carry radar, and have a good sight range, Peepers and Finks are among the best scouts in the game. It's almost always worth building an L1 Aircraft Plant even if you only use it for building these.

====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. Although they're not specifically designed for it, a group of 20-30 of these can be quickly and cheaply built to harass enemy units to great effect. Great against level 1 aircraft, and useful against level 2 aircraft if built in a large enough swarm. They are also extremely effective against gunships, as gunships do not typically have guided weapons. A large swarm can also be surprisingly effective against light ground units. However their weapons tend to fire infrequently at ground unless specifically ordered to do so.

An effective tactic can be to slowly assemble a group of these and then use them to raid your enemy's resources; from then on, he'll be forced to build extensive anti-air even if you don't plan on ever using air again. If your enemy is spending half his resources to defend against an attack that's not coming....

====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 Aircraft===

====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 damage, 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 vulnerable to flak.

As with all gunships, banshees take slightly (~20%) reduced damage from missiles compared to other types of aircraft.

===Core Lvl 1 Aircraft===

====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 paralysing serious threats. It can hover, allowing it to attack slow-moving or stationary ground units very effectively but making it vulnerable to flak.

Many Core players have gone on the record to say that the only reason they like Core so much is the Bladewing. With its ability to temporarily remove any one unit from a fight, you can effectively take the wind out of your enemy's sails if that one unit is, for instance, a Bantha.

Be aware that superweapons and Commanders are nigh-invulnerable to paralyzer weapons. Concentrated fire may temporarily stun them, but they'll be back in action practically the instant you stop firing.

===Common Lvl 2 Aircraft===

====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. Before the enemy has significant flak defences, Brawlers and Rapiers are viable for assaults. After that point, they're best used to raid outposts that haven't yet had flak cannons installed, or harass assault forces that have insufficient AA cover.

====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, regardless of what it is. 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.

As advanced missile towers and flak get built, the ability of Phoenixes and Hurricanes to hit targets anywhere in a base diminishes. They remain useful for striking targets near the edge, and can be good for softening up a defence line or breaking a hole in it before an attack, but typically need to withdraw (or will be destroyed) after one or two passes.

Because of their bomb scattering attribute, a group of even 5+ Phoenix or Hurricanes can be used to quickly massacre even a moderately fast-moving attack group if it isn't protected by a strong anti-air presence.

====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 attacking ground targets. They're good at intercepting enemy airstrikes and providing AA defence for the skies over your base or contested territory.

====Eagle/Vulture====

A more sophisticated recon plane. Has a longer radar range and carries a real sonar. Information about your enemy's activities is vital for both attack and defence, and the Eagle/Vulture can tell you a lot. Since they're more expensive than the Peeper/Fink, they're less expendable, making them less useful for quick scouting once AA is deployed. Carry flares to improve their survivability against guided missiles.

===Arm Lvl 2 Aircraft===

====Blade====

A gunship with even more armor and an even bigger weapon. They're tough and reasonably fast, making them good support for your assault forces once the enemy deploys flak cannons and Mercuries/Screamers. Hawks/Vamps and Freedom Fighters/Avengers still work well against them.

Because of a Blade's heavy armor, they take only 50% damage from flak guns, in addition to the standard 20% damage reduction for missile attacks on gunships. In short, they're Arm's ultimate high-flying badasses.

====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 Hawks/Vamps and Freedom Fighters/Avengers, 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. These units are highly resiliant against anti-aircraft fire, with a relativley high amount of hitpoints, radar invisibility, and flares to deflect missiles. On the offensive it can be used to disable enemy AA or ground turrets, allowing you to move in a more damaging force. On defence it can disable large amounts of small units, or even the large mechs which have no defence against such aircraft.

===Core Lvl 2 Aircraft===

====Seahook====

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

====Krow====

Flying instagib. With its three heavy, rapid-firing lasers, it will kill anything that isn't a group of 5+ flak guns or a fighter swarm.

==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 Ships and Subs===

====Skeeter/Searcher====

The naval equivalent 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. They are also useful as anti-air for early attacks, before you can get/need the standard AA ships ([[#Archer/Shredder|Archer/Shredder]]).

====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 Ships and Subs===

====Abel/Caine====

A medium-range bombardment ship, the Abel/Caine packs a rapid-fire, long-range, highly inaccurate plasma cannon intended for shelling large targets, such as a cluster of shipyards or an enemy base near to the shoreline.

====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 much more accurate heavy laser. These ships can dominate enemy fleets but are expensive and very weak against submarines and aircraft. 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 sea-borne 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.

==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 Hovercraft===

====Mausser/Navarone====

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

====Swatter/Slinger====

An anti-air 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. Neither can stand up to proper tanks or ships, but they're very good for quick attacks over small bodies of water.

====Wombat/Nixer====

A hovercraft with a vertically-launched artillery rocket. Very similar to the Merl/Diplomat, but with a shorter range, faster fire rate, and lower 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.) These effectively form the tier 3 of aircraft. While the ranks of seaplanes do not include units like Krows or Krogoths, they are far more cost effective, more powerful, generally nimbler, faster, and so on. Seaplane factories can only be built on the water by Advanced Construction Submarines and Aircraft

===Common Lvl 1 Seaplanes===

====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. Carries flares to help protect it against guided missiles.

====Tornado/Voodoo====

Basic fighter seaplane. Similar to the Hawk/Vamp, but not stealthy and with a less powerful air-to-air missile. Although they will generally lose to a Hawk/Vamp in a head-to-head fight, they are far less expensive and faster to build.

====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. About the same general power level as a Brawler/Rapier, but slightly more cost-effective, quick, and nimble. 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/Maelstrom====

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

2006-05-28T16:33:39Z

Egarwaen: /* Leejen */ Added note about radar.

This is the Practical AA Guide. It has information such as ways to best use units, and things to avoid. To answer more technical questions, such as exactly how much damage per second a weapon is capable of, or precise build costs of a particular unit, you may want to visit the [http://ta-aa.sourceforge.net/modweb Technical AA Guide].

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 in the first few minutes of the game, and destroys any reclaimable wreckage. His laser should be more than enough against small groups of raiders. Whatever you do, '''do not''' D-Gun your own structures or units unless it's that or lose the game.

The Commander has a small but constant auto-repair, which makes him better able to handle fire from raiders and sporadic artillery hits.

==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 Resource Structures===

====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 Collector====

More expensive than a [[#Wind Generator|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 Collector====

The Advanced Solar Generator produces about four times as much energy (75 per tick) as a regular [[#Solar Collector|Solar Collector]], but costs correspondingly more metal and significantly more energy. Their advantage over regular Solar Collectors is that they have a smaller footprint (4x4 instead of 5x5). They cannot close into a more armored form, but they do have more health.

====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.

Geothermal powerplants, much like the level 2 Moho Geothermal Powerplants, have a nasty explosion. Be careful what you build around them since they will be a prime target of opportunity.

Absolute Annihilation gives Arm increased output from geothermal powerplants.

====Energy/Metal Storage====

As the name indicates, these structures provide you with additional energy and metal storage. Since all resource structures in AA come with some 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 usually be using up your metal as fast as you can without stalling. ''However'' if you're reclaiming a lot of things, especially any [[#Commander|Commander]] wreckage laying about, you'll need these in order to make sure you receive all your metal.

===Arm Level 1 Resource Structures===

====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 necessary. Watch out for this when killing them if the enemy has some units nearby, as paralyzed units are easy prey.

===Core Level 1 Resource Structures===

====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 Resource Structures===

====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. Unlike Moho Mines in [[XTA]], they only cost 25 energy to operate. 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.

Absolute Annihilation gives Core slightly better energy output on their fusion plants.

====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.

Absolute Annihilation gives Arm a hefty boost to their output from Moho Geothermal Powerplants.

====Advanced Fusion Reactor====

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

Absolute Annihilation gives Core a hefty boost to their Advanced Fusion Reactor's energy output. However, this is somewhat offset by the greater cost a Core player must pay if he or she wants to cloak their reactor.

===Arm Level 2 Resource Structures===

====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 Resource Structures===

====Moho 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. Behemoths have the longest range of any structure except for LRPC/RFLRPCs.

==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 by either side. Yes, this means that you can't use radar to detect enemy units inside the area of effect of one of your jammers! 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.

In the late game, as more and more of the map gets covered by radar jammers, Dragon's Eyes become one of the most effective ways to keep track of your enemy's activities. They're virtually undectable once built and can't be fooled by radar jamming or stealth, though they still can't see cloaked units.

===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 [[#Bulldog|Bulldogs]] or [[#Goliath|Goliaths]], can drive over Dragon's Teeth, destroying them in the process.

Commanders and construction planes have a speed advantage in building these, as construction bots and vehicles do a small animation whenver they start or finish constructing something. This slows them down significantly on such cheap structures.

These can be used in lines to block an enemy advance. This is useful to prevent fast raiding units from simply rushing past your defences to attack key buildings in the back of your base. They can also be used in small lines or squares surrounding a defensive structure such as a [[#Sentinel/Gaat_Gun_Heavy_Laser_Tower|heavy laser tower]]. This can provide some protection from small units with direct fire weapons such as the [[#Flash/Instigator|Flash tank]].

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

One interesting use of Dragon's Teeth is terrain modification. DTs have a substantially higher "slope tolerance" (the maximum slope they can be built on) than most structures. They can be reclaimed to recover much of the metal that went into their construction. This makes them excellent for "clearing terrain" for building other structures. Just build a single DT or a small block of them, reclaim them, and build on the now-flattened land! This is great for putting up LLTs on hills, but can also be used to place Guardians/Punishers in unexpected locations. (Tip from Felix the Cat)

===Level 1 Defensive Structures===

====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 abbreviated as "LLT". They're good for covering mostly-blocked approaches to your base (like hills), as they can kill most light raiding forces.

A good way to defend against early to mid-game attacks is to build 3 LLTs in a loose cluster at the top of any hills or in choke points. Then build a couple of radar towers behind them to help spot enemies.

Throughout any game, even to the end, LLTs should be built in key areas of your base. They will come in handy in case an enemy slips through your outer perimeter.

====Beamer/Heavy Light Laser Turret (HLLT)====

Designed as a more permanent defensive structure for highly valuable inner-base areas as well as mid-game frontline duty. Beamers shoot a constant beam (get it? eh? eh?) which causes steady damage. This makes it ideal for dealing with attacks from both heavier units like Hammers/Thuds or much lighter units like Fleas, where it can instantly move on to the next target when the first one is destroyed, rather than waiting for a lengthy cool-down period. These also have a slightly longer range than vanilla LLTs.

The HLLT, on the other hand, is pretty much just a beefed up LLT. It has two turrets, allowing it to target two enemies simultaneously or concentrate on a single one. They have more than their fair share of hit points.

====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.

====Packo/SAM Anti-air Turret====

These are much more durable than standard missile towers and fire homing missiles quite rapidly. They are good at taking out large number of lighter planes quickly, making them a very effective fighter swarm counter. They will struggle to kill level 2 gunships and bombers unless used in large numbers, making flak cannons and level 2 missile towers a better choice against these units. The Packo can retract into a shielded underground state, largely protecting it from ground attack. The SAM just has more hitpoints.

====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.''

Besides Mercury/Screamer towers, these are the longest-range anti-air units you can build.

These buildings do extra damage against bombers.

====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 trajectory", which causes it to fire more damaging but highly inaccurate shells with a large area of effect in a high arc, or "Low trajectory", 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.

These do extra damage against amphibious units, and are therefore a good choice for defending a shoreline against a "fully submerged" opponent.

====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.

====Dargon's Claw/Dragon's Maw====

These are stealthy defensive structures (really stationary units) that can disguise themselves as Dragon's Teeth. When disguised, they can take significant amounts of damage, just like any "pop-up" weapon. If an enemy wanders into range, they'll reveal themselves and attack with a short-ranged lightning cannon (Arm) or flamethrower (Core). When destroyed, they leave behind ordinary Dragon's Teeth.

===Level 2 Defensive Structures===

====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 or nuclear weapons.

====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 totally under water, and so can only be targeted 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 must be constructed before launch) all the way across any map, each of which can destroy a substantial portion of an enemy base. Very few things (such as specialized structures that are in an armoured state by default) can survive a nuke blast, though the missiles can be easily intercepted by Protectors/Fortitudes.

====Juno====

The Juno is a much more limited ballistic 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. A cluster of these structures packed into a chokepoint or lined up in front of some Annihilators/Doomsday Machines can do quite a lot of damage. When not in use, they fold away into a concrete bunker, making them effectively immune to long-range artillery and even nuke strikes.

===Arm Level 2 Defensive Structures===

====Detonator====

The Detonator fires ballistic EMP missiles that paralyze units caught inside the blast. Their projectiles cannot be intercepted, making them very good at "preparing" enemy defensive structures or units for an attack. Like nukes and anti-nukes, the Detonator must build each shot before it can be used.

===Core Level 2 Defensive Structures===

====Inferno====

Wide-arc flamethrower. Good against swarms or for use in conjunction with several other Infernos against bigger units, or simply as one more extra support turret in a massively fortified front line.

====Catalyst====

A short-range tactical nuke launcher. The Catalyst's ballistic missile cannot be intercepted by anti-nukes but do significantly less damage than full-sized nukes. This makes them poor at destroying bases, but very good at softening up an enemy defensive line before an attack.

==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 KBots===

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====

Slightly 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 have a long range but 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 are shorter-ranged than Rocko/Storm rockets, but can 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 KBots===

====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 KBots===

The Core has no unique Level 1 KBots.

===Common Lvl 2 KBots===

====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-conceived 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 reanimated corpses of the enemy's attack force into your service to supplement 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 useful for getting past an enemy's defences. They also have a nanolathe, which can be used to reclaim wreckage, Dragon's Teeth, or slow enemy construction projects, though this will probably reveal your spy's location very quickly..

===Arm Lvl 2 KBots===

====Fido====

A very average level 2 KBot. Weaker than a [[#Zeus|Zeus]] or [[#Maverick|Maverick]] but faster and cheaper. Versatile but not particularly good at any one thing. The Fido has two fire modes, which can be toggled by switching its "Active State" between "On" and "Off". The default uses a long-range, slow-firing direct-fire gauss cannon. It's fairly accurate but relatively low-damage. The "Ballistic Cannon" mode fires a less-accurate shell that travels in a higher, ballistic arc, allowing it to fire over other units, Dragon's Teeth, and hills.

====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. Average durability and speed for an L2 unit, but capable of doing impressive damage. It destroys L1 units and light defences with ease. The Maverick also auto-repairs in combat and has a longer visual range than most units, making one or two good "spotters" for a unit of other KBots.

====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 opponents 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.

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.

====Scarab====

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.

===Core Lvl 2 KBots===

====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.

====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. Longer weapon range and more power, as well as a much faster fire rate. 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. Good at countering light Level 3 KBots. Like the Can, it has a combat auto-repair.

====Morty====

A support KBot with a very big gun. Has a long range and fires fast, 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 torpedoes 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 or Raiders near the front lines to reinforce your assault force can be very effective!

====Dominator====

Another artillery support KBot, the Dominator fires vertically-launched rockets. These are only slightly longer-ranged 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!

====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. Combined with radar jamming, a Skuttle can blast an impressive hole in even the toughest defences.

====Leejen====

A light and fast but totally unarmed scout KBot. Cheap unit, good for scouting ahead of a force for things like stealth units, mines, and enemy defences. Has a very short-ranged radar for spotting cloaked units, etc.

===Common Lvl 3 KBots===

====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 Annihilators/Doomsday Machines, 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, or a few Sumos, though it can outrun the Sumos.

====Marauder====

A medium amphibious assault unit. Very fast moving on land, and can be 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 bypass enemy defences.

====Aegis====

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 KBots===

====Krogoth====

An [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/wiki/Uberweapon Uberweapon]. Costs absurd amounts of resources. Slightly more powerful and tougher than the Orcone, and features a shotgun-style blaster which is ideal for concentrated fire on a single heavy target or spread fire over a swarm of lesser units.

====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 vulnerable 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. Juggernauts have a lot of hit points, so they can also be used as a sort of "rolling front line". Should ideally have a group of support construction units for when its job is done and it's lost a lot of health.

====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. In groups of three or more, these can tear apart an enemy base in as little as 60 seconds. They should be guarded well by units such as Sumos, Cans, and Karganeths.

==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 Vehicles===

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 equivalent 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.

====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 equivalent 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 (to their peril).

===Arm Lvl 1 Vehicles===

====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 Vehicles===

====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 Vehicles===

====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 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. They are slower than other forms of mobile artillery but tougher, making them good at assaulting enemy defensive structures.

====Triton/Croc====

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. The usual limitations of amphibious units apply.

===Arm Lvl 2 Vehicles===

====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.

====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 Vehicles===

====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, especially since it auto-repairs even during combat. 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!

====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. Its shots have a fairly large scatter, making them great at wiping out clustered defences or resource buildings.

====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.

==Aircraft==

Aircraft are airborne combat units. They're fast, can cross any terrain, but can take very little damage. Most aircraft are specialized, and designed for a specific task. Against units not built specifically to counter them, aircraft are very effective. Against anti-air units, they are at a significant disadvantage. Generally air units are not a base busting assault weapon, but anyone who assumes that they are useless will play at a significant disadvantage. Aircraft can be put to several uses, even in the late game:

Scouting: You've built a [[#Big Bertha/Intimidator|VLRPC]] (or ten). The sounds of each successive shell exploding in your enemy's base is slowly ratcheting up the pressure. But how do you know whether the pride of your army is destroying important enemy buildings, or killing peewees and solar collectors? Build some airplanes and have a look. You can then aim your Big Bertha at a worthy target. If your enemies build LRPCs, but only one player builds planes, guess who will find and destroy the opposing LRPCs first?

A few light aircraft can also be a great investment ahead of a ground attack. You can spot holes in the defence to aim for or unexpected resistance to retreat from before taking losses. They can provide line of sight for long range artillery to start pounding opposing defences. And what is that blob of units coming towards you on the radar? A plane can tell you if its 20 peewees or 20 goliaths. Any empty space on the map? Send a plane to scout at random intervals; you might find and prevent an opponent preparing a nasty surprise under cover of a radar jammer.

In general terms, scout aircraft are invaluable, as they're a very reliable mechanism for gathering precise information about the battlefield, even through heavy radar jamming and enemy fire.

Overwhelming: Focus efforts on building a large devestating force of bombers or gunships. With enough effort or against an unsuspecting victim, you may create a large enough air attack to devestate a base with insufficient anti-air defence. If your opponent ''does'' build enough anti-air defences, the setback to your economy from this effort will be serious.

Defence: An often overlooked aspect of aircraft is their use for base defence. They have the advantage of being able to intercept an attack from any direction quickly. If the attack force does not include a significant anti air componenent, your planes can attack while taking very little damage in return. [[#Hawk/Vamp|Hawks/Vamps]] are particularly good at this, and while they're unlikely to do fatal damage to ground units, they're excellent at intercepting and destroying enemy airstrikes. A few Arm Stilletos can provide an effective defence against nearly any attack.

Strategic strikes: Sometimes your opponent has a key building you badly want to destroy. It might be a [[#Retaliator/Silencer|nuclear silo]], [[#Protector/Fortitude|nuclear defence]], or a [[#Vulcan/Buzzsaw|rapid fire LRPC]]. Perhaps a [[#Moho Geothermal Powerplant|moho geothermal]], or [[#Advanced Fusion Reactor|advanced fusion]] that could take half the base with it if you can kill it. Or a [[#Commander|Commander]]. A determined bombing assault can often do the trick. Air has an unequaled ability to rapidly move and concentrate force to attack a key location. Just make sure the target is worth the effort, as in most games the planes that will get destroyed by anti-air in such a strike will represent a significant investment of resources. You'll need to use ground forces to capitalize on the strike.

All aircraft have a limited-range sonar, allowing them to see submerged units immediately under them. Aircraft generally cost larger amounts of energy, and lower amounts of metal when compared with other units. This can energy stall an unprepared player who tries to build an air force too early in the game. Aircraft also take a long time to build. Building an Air Factory as your first factory is a high-risk move guaranteed to slow down economic expansion drastrically.

===Common Lvl 1 Aircraft===

====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. Carries flares to reduce the effectiveness of guided AA weapons. They're best used as scouts, to spot targets for long-range artillery or attack forces. As they're cheap, fast, airborne, carry radar, and have a good sight range, Peepers and Finks are among the best scouts in the game. It's almost always worth building an L1 Aircraft Plant even if you only use it for building these.

====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. Although they're not specifically designed for it, a group of 20-30 of these can be quickly and cheaply built to harass enemy units to great effect. Great against level 1 aircraft, and useful against level 2 aircraft if built in a large enough swarm. They are also extremely effective against gunships, as gunships do not typically have guided weapons. A large swarm can also be surprisingly effective against light ground units. However their weapons tend to fire infrequently at ground unless specifically ordered to do so.

An effective tactic can be to slowly assemble a group of these and then use them to raid your enemy's resources; from then on, he'll be forced to build extensive anti-air even if you don't plan on ever using air again. If your enemy is spending half his resources to defend against an attack that's not coming....

====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 Aircraft===

====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 damage, 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 vulnerable to flak.

As with all gunships, banshees take slightly (~20%) reduced damage from missiles compared to other types of aircraft.

===Core Lvl 1 Aircraft===

====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 paralysing serious threats. It can hover, allowing it to attack slow-moving or stationary ground units very effectively but making it vulnerable to flak.

Many Core players have gone on the record to say that the only reason they like Core so much is the Bladewing. With its ability to temporarily remove any one unit from a fight, you can effectively take the wind out of your enemy's sails if that one unit is, for instance, a Bantha.

Be aware that superweapons and Commanders are nigh-invulnerable to paralyzer weapons. Concentrated fire may temporarily stun them, but they'll be back in action practically the instant you stop firing.

===Common Lvl 2 Aircraft===

====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. Before the enemy has significant flak defences, Brawlers and Rapiers are viable for assaults. After that point, they're best used to raid outposts that haven't yet had flak cannons installed, or harass assault forces that have insufficient AA cover.

====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, regardless of what it is. 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.

As advanced missile towers and flak get built, the ability of Phoenixes and Hurricanes to hit targets anywhere in a base diminishes. They remain useful for striking targets near the edge, and can be good for softening up a defence line or breaking a hole in it before an attack, but typically need to withdraw (or will be destroyed) after one or two passes.

Because of their bomb scattering attribute, a group of even 5+ Phoenix or Hurricanes can be used to quickly massacre even a moderately fast-moving attack group if it isn't protected by a strong anti-air presence.

====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 attacking ground targets. They're good at intercepting enemy airstrikes and providing AA defence for the skies over your base or contested territory.

====Eagle/Vulture====

A more sophisticated recon plane. Has a longer radar range and carries a real sonar. Information about your enemy's activities is vital for both attack and defence, and the Eagle/Vulture can tell you a lot. Since they're more expensive than the Peeper/Fink, they're less expendable, making them less useful for quick scouting once AA is deployed. Carry flares to improve their survivability against guided missiles.

===Arm Lvl 2 Aircraft===

====Blade====

A gunship with even more armor and an even bigger weapon. They're tough and reasonably fast, making them good support for your assault forces once the enemy deploys flak cannons and Mercuries/Screamers. Hawks/Vamps and Freedom Fighters/Avengers still work well against them.

Because of a Blade's heavy armor, they take only 50% damage from flak guns, in addition to the standard 20% damage reduction for missile attacks on gunships. In short, they're Arm's ultimate high-flying badasses.

====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 Hawks/Vamps and Freedom Fighters/Avengers, 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. These units are highly resiliant against anti-aircraft fire, with a relativley high amount of hitpoints, radar invisibility, and flares to deflect missiles. On the offensive it can be used to disable enemy AA or ground turrets, allowing you to move in a more damaging force. On defence it can disable large amounts of small units, or even the large mechs which have no defence against such aircraft.

===Core Lvl 2 Aircraft===

====Seahook====

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

====Krow====

Flying instagib. With its three heavy, rapid-firing lasers, it will kill anything that isn't a group of 5+ flak guns or a fighter swarm.

==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 Ships and Subs===

====Skeeter/Searcher====

The naval equivalent 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. They are also useful as anti-air for early attacks, before you can get/need the standard AA ships ([[#Archer/Shredder|Archer/Shredder]]).

====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 Ships and Subs===

====Abel/Caine====

A medium-range bombardment ship, the Abel/Caine packs a rapid-fire, long-range, highly inaccurate plasma cannon intended for shelling large targets, such as a cluster of shipyards or an enemy base near to the shoreline.

====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 much more accurate heavy laser. These ships can dominate enemy fleets but are expensive and very weak against submarines and aircraft. 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 sea-borne 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.

==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 Hovercraft===

====Mausser/Navarone====

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

====Swatter/Slinger====

An anti-air 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. Neither can stand up to proper tanks or ships, but they're very good for quick attacks over small bodies of water.

====Wombat/Nixer====

A hovercraft with a vertically-launched artillery rocket. Very similar to the Merl/Diplomat, but with a shorter range, faster fire rate, and lower 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.) These effectively form the tier 3 of aircraft. While the ranks of seaplanes do not include units like Krows or Krogoths, they are far more cost effective, more powerful, generally nimbler, faster, and so on. Seaplane factories can only be built on the water by Advanced Construction Submarines and Aircraft

===Common Lvl 1 Seaplanes===

====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. Carries flares to help protect it against guided missiles.

====Tornado/Voodoo====

Basic fighter seaplane. Similar to the Hawk/Vamp, but not stealthy and with a less powerful air-to-air missile. Although they will generally lose to a Hawk/Vamp in a head-to-head fight, they are far less expensive and faster to build.

====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. About the same general power level as a Brawler/Rapier, but slightly more cost-effective, quick, and nimble. 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/Maelstrom====

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

2006-05-28T00:34:45Z

Egarwaen: /* Voyeur */ - No longer in 1.48?

This is the Practical AA Guide. It has information such as ways to best use units, and things to avoid. To answer more technical questions, such as exactly how much damage per second a weapon is capable of, or precise build costs of a particular unit, you may want to visit the [http://ta-aa.sourceforge.net/modweb Technical AA Guide].

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 in the first few minutes of the game, and destroys any reclaimable wreckage. His laser should be more than enough against small groups of raiders. Whatever you do, '''do not''' D-Gun your own structures or units unless it's that or lose the game.

The Commander has a small but constant auto-repair, which makes him better able to handle fire from raiders and sporadic artillery hits.

==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 Resource Structures===

====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 Collector====

More expensive than a [[#Wind Generator|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 Collector====

The Advanced Solar Generator produces about four times as much energy (75 per tick) as a regular [[#Solar Collector|Solar Collector]], but costs correspondingly more metal and significantly more energy. Their advantage over regular Solar Collectors is that they have a smaller footprint (4x4 instead of 5x5). They cannot close into a more armored form, but they do have more health.

====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.

Geothermal powerplants, much like the level 2 Moho Geothermal Powerplants, have a nasty explosion. Be careful what you build around them since they will be a prime target of opportunity.

Absolute Annihilation gives Arm increased output from geothermal powerplants.

====Energy/Metal Storage====

As the name indicates, these structures provide you with additional energy and metal storage. Since all resource structures in AA come with some 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 usually be using up your metal as fast as you can without stalling. ''However'' if you're reclaiming a lot of things, especially any [[#Commander|Commander]] wreckage laying about, you'll need these in order to make sure you receive all your metal.

===Arm Level 1 Resource Structures===

====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 necessary. Watch out for this when killing them if the enemy has some units nearby, as paralyzed units are easy prey.

===Core Level 1 Resource Structures===

====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 Resource Structures===

====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. Unlike Moho Mines in [[XTA]], they only cost 25 energy to operate. 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.

Absolute Annihilation gives Core slightly better energy output on their fusion plants.

====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.

Absolute Annihilation gives Arm a hefty boost to their output from Moho Geothermal Powerplants.

====Advanced Fusion Reactor====

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

Absolute Annihilation gives Core a hefty boost to their Advanced Fusion Reactor's energy output. However, this is somewhat offset by the greater cost a Core player must pay if he or she wants to cloak their reactor.

===Arm Level 2 Resource Structures===

====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 Resource Structures===

====Moho 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. Behemoths have the longest range of any structure except for LRPC/RFLRPCs.

==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 by either side. Yes, this means that you can't use radar to detect enemy units inside the area of effect of one of your jammers! 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.

In the late game, as more and more of the map gets covered by radar jammers, Dragon's Eyes become one of the most effective ways to keep track of your enemy's activities. They're virtually undectable once built and can't be fooled by radar jamming or stealth, though they still can't see cloaked units.

===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 [[#Bulldog|Bulldogs]] or [[#Goliath|Goliaths]], can drive over Dragon's Teeth, destroying them in the process.

Commanders and construction planes have a speed advantage in building these, as construction bots and vehicles do a small animation whenver they start or finish constructing something. This slows them down significantly on such cheap structures.

These can be used in lines to block an enemy advance. This is useful to prevent fast raiding units from simply rushing past your defences to attack key buildings in the back of your base. They can also be used in small lines or squares surrounding a defensive structure such as a [[#Sentinel/Gaat_Gun_Heavy_Laser_Tower|heavy laser tower]]. This can provide some protection from small units with direct fire weapons such as the [[#Flash/Instigator|Flash tank]].

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

One interesting use of Dragon's Teeth is terrain modification. DTs have a substantially higher "slope tolerance" (the maximum slope they can be built on) than most structures. They can be reclaimed to recover much of the metal that went into their construction. This makes them excellent for "clearing terrain" for building other structures. Just build a single DT or a small block of them, reclaim them, and build on the now-flattened land! This is great for putting up LLTs on hills, but can also be used to place Guardians/Punishers in unexpected locations. (Tip from Felix the Cat)

===Level 1 Defensive Structures===

====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 abbreviated as "LLT". They're good for covering mostly-blocked approaches to your base (like hills), as they can kill most light raiding forces.

A good way to defend against early to mid-game attacks is to build 3 LLTs in a loose cluster at the top of any hills or in choke points. Then build a couple of radar towers behind them to help spot enemies.

Throughout any game, even to the end, LLTs should be built in key areas of your base. They will come in handy in case an enemy slips through your outer perimeter.

====Beamer/Heavy Light Laser Turret (HLLT)====

Designed as a more permanent defensive structure for highly valuable inner-base areas as well as mid-game frontline duty. Beamers shoot a constant beam (get it? eh? eh?) which causes steady damage. This makes it ideal for dealing with attacks from both heavier units like Hammers/Thuds or much lighter units like Fleas, where it can instantly move on to the next target when the first one is destroyed, rather than waiting for a lengthy cool-down period. These also have a slightly longer range than vanilla LLTs.

The HLLT, on the other hand, is pretty much just a beefed up LLT. It has two turrets, allowing it to target two enemies simultaneously or concentrate on a single one. They have more than their fair share of hit points.

====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.

====Packo/SAM Anti-air Turret====

These are much more durable than standard missile towers and fire homing missiles quite rapidly. They are good at taking out large number of lighter planes quickly, making them a very effective fighter swarm counter. They will struggle to kill level 2 gunships and bombers unless used in large numbers, making flak cannons and level 2 missile towers a better choice against these units. The Packo can retract into a shielded underground state, largely protecting it from ground attack. The SAM just has more hitpoints.

====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.''

Besides Mercury/Screamer towers, these are the longest-range anti-air units you can build.

These buildings do extra damage against bombers.

====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 trajectory", which causes it to fire more damaging but highly inaccurate shells with a large area of effect in a high arc, or "Low trajectory", 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.

These do extra damage against amphibious units, and are therefore a good choice for defending a shoreline against a "fully submerged" opponent.

====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.

====Dargon's Claw/Dragon's Maw====

These are stealthy defensive structures (really stationary units) that can disguise themselves as Dragon's Teeth. When disguised, they can take significant amounts of damage, just like any "pop-up" weapon. If an enemy wanders into range, they'll reveal themselves and attack with a short-ranged lightning cannon (Arm) or flamethrower (Core). When destroyed, they leave behind ordinary Dragon's Teeth.

===Level 2 Defensive Structures===

====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 or nuclear weapons.

====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 totally under water, and so can only be targeted 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 must be constructed before launch) all the way across any map, each of which can destroy a substantial portion of an enemy base. Very few things (such as specialized structures that are in an armoured state by default) can survive a nuke blast, though the missiles can be easily intercepted by Protectors/Fortitudes.

====Juno====

The Juno is a much more limited ballistic 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. A cluster of these structures packed into a chokepoint or lined up in front of some Annihilators/Doomsday Machines can do quite a lot of damage. When not in use, they fold away into a concrete bunker, making them effectively immune to long-range artillery and even nuke strikes.

===Arm Level 2 Defensive Structures===

====Detonator====

The Detonator fires ballistic EMP missiles that paralyze units caught inside the blast. Their projectiles cannot be intercepted, making them very good at "preparing" enemy defensive structures or units for an attack. Like nukes and anti-nukes, the Detonator must build each shot before it can be used.

===Core Level 2 Defensive Structures===

====Inferno====

Wide-arc flamethrower. Good against swarms or for use in conjunction with several other Infernos against bigger units, or simply as one more extra support turret in a massively fortified front line.

====Catalyst====

A short-range tactical nuke launcher. The Catalyst's ballistic missile cannot be intercepted by anti-nukes but do significantly less damage than full-sized nukes. This makes them poor at destroying bases, but very good at softening up an enemy defensive line before an attack.

==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 KBots===

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====

Slightly 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 have a long range but 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 are shorter-ranged than Rocko/Storm rockets, but can 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 KBots===

====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 KBots===

The Core has no unique Level 1 KBots.

===Common Lvl 2 KBots===

====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-conceived 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 reanimated corpses of the enemy's attack force into your service to supplement 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 useful for getting past an enemy's defences. They also have a nanolathe, which can be used to reclaim wreckage, Dragon's Teeth, or slow enemy construction projects, though this will probably reveal your spy's location very quickly..

===Arm Lvl 2 KBots===

====Fido====

A very average level 2 KBot. Weaker than a [[#Zeus|Zeus]] or [[#Maverick|Maverick]] but faster and cheaper. Versatile but not particularly good at any one thing. The Fido has two fire modes, which can be toggled by switching its "Active State" between "On" and "Off". The default uses a long-range, slow-firing direct-fire gauss cannon. It's fairly accurate but relatively low-damage. The "Ballistic Cannon" mode fires a less-accurate shell that travels in a higher, ballistic arc, allowing it to fire over other units, Dragon's Teeth, and hills.

====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. Average durability and speed for an L2 unit, but capable of doing impressive damage. It destroys L1 units and light defences with ease. The Maverick also auto-repairs in combat and has a longer visual range than most units, making one or two good "spotters" for a unit of other KBots.

====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 opponents 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.

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.

====Scarab====

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.

===Core Lvl 2 KBots===

====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.

====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. Longer weapon range and more power, as well as a much faster fire rate. 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. Good at countering light Level 3 KBots. Like the Can, it has a combat auto-repair.

====Morty====

A support KBot with a very big gun. Has a long range and fires fast, 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 torpedoes 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 or Raiders near the front lines to reinforce your assault force can be very effective!

====Dominator====

Another artillery support KBot, the Dominator fires vertically-launched rockets. These are only slightly longer-ranged 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!

====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. Combined with radar jamming, a Skuttle can blast an impressive hole in even the toughest defences.

====Leejen====

A light and fast but totally unarmed scout KBot. Cheap unit, good for scouting ahead of a force for things like stealth units, mines, and enemy defences.

===Common Lvl 3 KBots===

====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 Annihilators/Doomsday Machines, 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, or a few Sumos, though it can outrun the Sumos.

====Marauder====

A medium amphibious assault unit. Very fast moving on land, and can be 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 bypass enemy defences.

====Aegis====

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 KBots===

====Krogoth====

An [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/wiki/Uberweapon Uberweapon]. Costs absurd amounts of resources. Slightly more powerful and tougher than the Orcone, and features a shotgun-style blaster which is ideal for concentrated fire on a single heavy target or spread fire over a swarm of lesser units.

====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 vulnerable 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. Juggernauts have a lot of hit points, so they can also be used as a sort of "rolling front line". Should ideally have a group of support construction units for when its job is done and it's lost a lot of health.

====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. In groups of three or more, these can tear apart an enemy base in as little as 60 seconds. They should be guarded well by units such as Sumos, Cans, and Karganeths.

==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 Vehicles===

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 equivalent 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.

====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 equivalent 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 (to their peril).

===Arm Lvl 1 Vehicles===

====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 Vehicles===

====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 Vehicles===

====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 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. They are slower than other forms of mobile artillery but tougher, making them good at assaulting enemy defensive structures.

====Triton/Croc====

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. The usual limitations of amphibious units apply.

===Arm Lvl 2 Vehicles===

====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.

====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 Vehicles===

====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, especially since it auto-repairs even during combat. 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!

====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. Its shots have a fairly large scatter, making them great at wiping out clustered defences or resource buildings.

====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.

==Aircraft==

Aircraft are airborne combat units. They're fast, can cross any terrain, but can take very little damage. Most aircraft are specialized, and designed for a specific task. Against units not built specifically to counter them, aircraft are very effective. Against anti-air units, they are at a significant disadvantage. Generally air units are not a base busting assault weapon, but anyone who assumes that they are useless will play at a significant disadvantage. Aircraft can be put to several uses, even in the late game:

Scouting: You've built a [[#Big Bertha/Intimidator|VLRPC]] (or ten). The sounds of each successive shell exploding in your enemy's base is slowly ratcheting up the pressure. But how do you know whether the pride of your army is destroying important enemy buildings, or killing peewees and solar collectors? Build some airplanes and have a look. You can then aim your Big Bertha at a worthy target. If your enemies build LRPCs, but only one player builds planes, guess who will find and destroy the opposing LRPCs first?

A few light aircraft can also be a great investment ahead of a ground attack. You can spot holes in the defence to aim for or unexpected resistance to retreat from before taking losses. They can provide line of sight for long range artillery to start pounding opposing defences. And what is that blob of units coming towards you on the radar? A plane can tell you if its 20 peewees or 20 goliaths. Any empty space on the map? Send a plane to scout at random intervals; you might find and prevent an opponent preparing a nasty surprise under cover of a radar jammer.

In general terms, scout aircraft are invaluable, as they're a very reliable mechanism for gathering precise information about the battlefield, even through heavy radar jamming and enemy fire.

Overwhelming: Focus efforts on building a large devestating force of bombers or gunships. With enough effort or against an unsuspecting victim, you may create a large enough air attack to devestate a base with insufficient anti-air defence. If your opponent ''does'' build enough anti-air defences, the setback to your economy from this effort will be serious.

Defence: An often overlooked aspect of aircraft is their use for base defence. They have the advantage of being able to intercept an attack from any direction quickly. If the attack force does not include a significant anti air componenent, your planes can attack while taking very little damage in return. [[#Hawk/Vamp|Hawks/Vamps]] are particularly good at this, and while they're unlikely to do fatal damage to ground units, they're excellent at intercepting and destroying enemy airstrikes. A few Arm Stilletos can provide an effective defence against nearly any attack.

Strategic strikes: Sometimes your opponent has a key building you badly want to destroy. It might be a [[#Retaliator/Silencer|nuclear silo]], [[#Protector/Fortitude|nuclear defence]], or a [[#Vulcan/Buzzsaw|rapid fire LRPC]]. Perhaps a [[#Moho Geothermal Powerplant|moho geothermal]], or [[#Advanced Fusion Reactor|advanced fusion]] that could take half the base with it if you can kill it. Or a [[#Commander|Commander]]. A determined bombing assault can often do the trick. Air has an unequaled ability to rapidly move and concentrate force to attack a key location. Just make sure the target is worth the effort, as in most games the planes that will get destroyed by anti-air in such a strike will represent a significant investment of resources. You'll need to use ground forces to capitalize on the strike.

All aircraft have a limited-range sonar, allowing them to see submerged units immediately under them. Aircraft generally cost larger amounts of energy, and lower amounts of metal when compared with other units. This can energy stall an unprepared player who tries to build an air force too early in the game. Aircraft also take a long time to build. Building an Air Factory as your first factory is a high-risk move guaranteed to slow down economic expansion drastrically.

===Common Lvl 1 Aircraft===

====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. Carries flares to reduce the effectiveness of guided AA weapons. They're best used as scouts, to spot targets for long-range artillery or attack forces. As they're cheap, fast, airborne, carry radar, and have a good sight range, Peepers and Finks are among the best scouts in the game. It's almost always worth building an L1 Aircraft Plant even if you only use it for building these.

====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. Although they're not specifically designed for it, a group of 20-30 of these can be quickly and cheaply built to harass enemy units to great effect. Great against level 1 aircraft, and useful against level 2 aircraft if built in a large enough swarm. They are also extremely effective against gunships, as gunships do not typically have guided weapons. A large swarm can also be surprisingly effective against light ground units. However their weapons tend to fire infrequently at ground unless specifically ordered to do so.

An effective tactic can be to slowly assemble a group of these and then use them to raid your enemy's resources; from then on, he'll be forced to build extensive anti-air even if you don't plan on ever using air again. If your enemy is spending half his resources to defend against an attack that's not coming....

====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 Aircraft===

====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 damage, 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 vulnerable to flak.

As with all gunships, banshees take slightly (~20%) reduced damage from missiles compared to other types of aircraft.

===Core Lvl 1 Aircraft===

====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 paralysing serious threats. It can hover, allowing it to attack slow-moving or stationary ground units very effectively but making it vulnerable to flak.

Many Core players have gone on the record to say that the only reason they like Core so much is the Bladewing. With its ability to temporarily remove any one unit from a fight, you can effectively take the wind out of your enemy's sails if that one unit is, for instance, a Bantha.

Be aware that superweapons and Commanders are nigh-invulnerable to paralyzer weapons. Concentrated fire may temporarily stun them, but they'll be back in action practically the instant you stop firing.

===Common Lvl 2 Aircraft===

====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. Before the enemy has significant flak defences, Brawlers and Rapiers are viable for assaults. After that point, they're best used to raid outposts that haven't yet had flak cannons installed, or harass assault forces that have insufficient AA cover.

====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, regardless of what it is. 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.

As advanced missile towers and flak get built, the ability of Phoenixes and Hurricanes to hit targets anywhere in a base diminishes. They remain useful for striking targets near the edge, and can be good for softening up a defence line or breaking a hole in it before an attack, but typically need to withdraw (or will be destroyed) after one or two passes.

Because of their bomb scattering attribute, a group of even 5+ Phoenix or Hurricanes can be used to quickly massacre even a moderately fast-moving attack group if it isn't protected by a strong anti-air presence.

====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 attacking ground targets. They're good at intercepting enemy airstrikes and providing AA defence for the skies over your base or contested territory.

====Eagle/Vulture====

A more sophisticated recon plane. Has a longer radar range and carries a real sonar. Information about your enemy's activities is vital for both attack and defence, and the Eagle/Vulture can tell you a lot. Since they're more expensive than the Peeper/Fink, they're less expendable, making them less useful for quick scouting once AA is deployed. Carry flares to improve their survivability against guided missiles.

===Arm Lvl 2 Aircraft===

====Blade====

A gunship with even more armor and an even bigger weapon. They're tough and reasonably fast, making them good support for your assault forces once the enemy deploys flak cannons and Mercuries/Screamers. Hawks/Vamps and Freedom Fighters/Avengers still work well against them.

Because of a Blade's heavy armor, they take only 50% damage from flak guns, in addition to the standard 20% damage reduction for missile attacks on gunships. In short, they're Arm's ultimate high-flying badasses.

====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 Hawks/Vamps and Freedom Fighters/Avengers, 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. These units are highly resiliant against anti-aircraft fire, with a relativley high amount of hitpoints, radar invisibility, and flares to deflect missiles. On the offensive it can be used to disable enemy AA or ground turrets, allowing you to move in a more damaging force. On defence it can disable large amounts of small units, or even the large mechs which have no defence against such aircraft.

===Core Lvl 2 Aircraft===

====Seahook====

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

====Krow====

Flying instagib. With its three heavy, rapid-firing lasers, it will kill anything that isn't a group of 5+ flak guns or a fighter swarm.

==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 Ships and Subs===

====Skeeter/Searcher====

The naval equivalent 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. They are also useful as anti-air for early attacks, before you can get/need the standard AA ships ([[#Archer/Shredder|Archer/Shredder]]).

====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 Ships and Subs===

====Abel/Caine====

A medium-range bombardment ship, the Abel/Caine packs a rapid-fire, long-range, highly inaccurate plasma cannon intended for shelling large targets, such as a cluster of shipyards or an enemy base near to the shoreline.

====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 much more accurate heavy laser. These ships can dominate enemy fleets but are expensive and very weak against submarines and aircraft. 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 sea-borne 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.

==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 Hovercraft===

====Mausser/Navarone====

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

====Swatter/Slinger====

An anti-air 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. Neither can stand up to proper tanks or ships, but they're very good for quick attacks over small bodies of water.

====Wombat/Nixer====

A hovercraft with a vertically-launched artillery rocket. Very similar to the Merl/Diplomat, but with a shorter range, faster fire rate, and lower 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.) These effectively form the tier 3 of aircraft. While the ranks of seaplanes do not include units like Krows or Krogoths, they are far more cost effective, more powerful, generally nimbler, faster, and so on. Seaplane factories can only be built on the water by Advanced Construction Submarines and Aircraft

===Common Lvl 1 Seaplanes===

====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. Carries flares to help protect it against guided missiles.

====Tornado/Voodoo====

Basic fighter seaplane. Similar to the Hawk/Vamp, but not stealthy and with a less powerful air-to-air missile. Although they will generally lose to a Hawk/Vamp in a head-to-head fight, they are far less expensive and faster to build.

====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. About the same general power level as a Brawler/Rapier, but slightly more cost-effective, quick, and nimble. 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/Maelstrom====

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

2006-05-27T15:11:54Z

Egarwaen: /* KBots */ Removed note about unreleased units.

This is the Practical AA Guide. It has information such as ways to best use units, and things to avoid. To answer more technical questions, such as exactly how much damage per second a weapon is capable of, or precise build costs of a particular unit, you may want to visit the [http://ta-aa.sourceforge.net/modweb Technical AA Guide].

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 in the first few minutes of the game, and destroys any reclaimable wreckage. His laser should be more than enough against small groups of raiders. Whatever you do, '''do not''' D-Gun your own structures or units unless it's that or lose the game.

The Commander has a small but constant auto-repair, which makes him better able to handle fire from raiders and sporadic artillery hits.

==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 Resource Structures===

====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 Collector====

More expensive than a [[#Wind Generator|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 Collector====

The Advanced Solar Generator produces about four times as much energy (75 per tick) as a regular [[#Solar Collector|Solar Collector]], but costs correspondingly more metal and significantly more energy. Their advantage over regular Solar Collectors is that they have a smaller footprint (4x4 instead of 5x5). They cannot close into a more armored form, but they do have more health.

====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.

Geothermal powerplants, much like the level 2 Moho Geothermal Powerplants, have a nasty explosion. Be careful what you build around them since they will be a prime target of opportunity.

Absolute Annihilation gives Arm increased output from geothermal powerplants.

====Energy/Metal Storage====

As the name indicates, these structures provide you with additional energy and metal storage. Since all resource structures in AA come with some 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 usually be using up your metal as fast as you can without stalling. ''However'' if you're reclaiming a lot of things, especially any [[#Commander|Commander]] wreckage laying about, you'll need these in order to make sure you receive all your metal.

===Arm Level 1 Resource Structures===

====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 necessary. Watch out for this when killing them if the enemy has some units nearby, as paralyzed units are easy prey.

===Core Level 1 Resource Structures===

====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 Resource Structures===

====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. Unlike Moho Mines in [[XTA]], they only cost 25 energy to operate. 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.

Absolute Annihilation gives Core slightly better energy output on their fusion plants.

====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.

Absolute Annihilation gives Arm a hefty boost to their output from Moho Geothermal Powerplants.

====Advanced Fusion Reactor====

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

Absolute Annihilation gives Core a hefty boost to their Advanced Fusion Reactor's energy output. However, this is somewhat offset by the greater cost a Core player must pay if he or she wants to cloak their reactor.

===Arm Level 2 Resource Structures===

====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 Resource Structures===

====Moho 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. Behemoths have the longest range of any structure except for LRPC/RFLRPCs.

==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 by either side. Yes, this means that you can't use radar to detect enemy units inside the area of effect of one of your jammers! 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.

In the late game, as more and more of the map gets covered by radar jammers, Dragon's Eyes become one of the most effective ways to keep track of your enemy's activities. They're virtually undectable once built and can't be fooled by radar jamming or stealth, though they still can't see cloaked units.

===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 [[#Bulldog|Bulldogs]] or [[#Goliath|Goliaths]], can drive over Dragon's Teeth, destroying them in the process.

Commanders and construction planes have a speed advantage in building these, as construction bots and vehicles do a small animation whenver they start or finish constructing something. This slows them down significantly on such cheap structures.

These can be used in lines to block an enemy advance. This is useful to prevent fast raiding units from simply rushing past your defences to attack key buildings in the back of your base. They can also be used in small lines or squares surrounding a defensive structure such as a [[#Sentinel/Gaat_Gun_Heavy_Laser_Tower|heavy laser tower]]. This can provide some protection from small units with direct fire weapons such as the [[#Flash/Instigator|Flash tank]].

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

One interesting use of Dragon's Teeth is terrain modification. DTs have a substantially higher "slope tolerance" (the maximum slope they can be built on) than most structures. They can be reclaimed to recover much of the metal that went into their construction. This makes them excellent for "clearing terrain" for building other structures. Just build a single DT or a small block of them, reclaim them, and build on the now-flattened land! This is great for putting up LLTs on hills, but can also be used to place Guardians/Punishers in unexpected locations. (Tip from Felix the Cat)

===Level 1 Defensive Structures===

====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 abbreviated as "LLT". They're good for covering mostly-blocked approaches to your base (like hills), as they can kill most light raiding forces.

A good way to defend against early to mid-game attacks is to build 3 LLTs in a loose cluster at the top of any hills or in choke points. Then build a couple of radar towers behind them to help spot enemies.

Throughout any game, even to the end, LLTs should be built in key areas of your base. They will come in handy in case an enemy slips through your outer perimeter.

====Beamer/Heavy Light Laser Turret (HLLT)====

Designed as a more permanent defensive structure for highly valuable inner-base areas as well as mid-game frontline duty. Beamers shoot a constant beam (get it? eh? eh?) which causes steady damage. This makes it ideal for dealing with attacks from both heavier units like Hammers/Thuds or much lighter units like Fleas, where it can instantly move on to the next target when the first one is destroyed, rather than waiting for a lengthy cool-down period. These also have a slightly longer range than vanilla LLTs.

The HLLT, on the other hand, is pretty much just a beefed up LLT. It has two turrets, allowing it to target two enemies simultaneously or concentrate on a single one. They have more than their fair share of hit points.

====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.

====Packo/SAM Anti-air Turret====

These are much more durable than standard missile towers and fire homing missiles quite rapidly. They are good at taking out large number of lighter planes quickly, making them a very effective fighter swarm counter. They will struggle to kill level 2 gunships and bombers unless used in large numbers, making flak cannons and level 2 missile towers a better choice against these units. The Packo can retract into a shielded underground state, largely protecting it from ground attack. The SAM just has more hitpoints.

====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.''

Besides Mercury/Screamer towers, these are the longest-range anti-air units you can build.

These buildings do extra damage against bombers.

====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 trajectory", which causes it to fire more damaging but highly inaccurate shells with a large area of effect in a high arc, or "Low trajectory", 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.

These do extra damage against amphibious units, and are therefore a good choice for defending a shoreline against a "fully submerged" opponent.

====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.

====Dargon's Claw/Dragon's Maw====

These are stealthy defensive structures (really stationary units) that can disguise themselves as Dragon's Teeth. When disguised, they can take significant amounts of damage, just like any "pop-up" weapon. If an enemy wanders into range, they'll reveal themselves and attack with a short-ranged lightning cannon (Arm) or flamethrower (Core). When destroyed, they leave behind ordinary Dragon's Teeth.

===Level 2 Defensive Structures===

====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 or nuclear weapons.

====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 totally under water, and so can only be targeted 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 must be constructed before launch) all the way across any map, each of which can destroy a substantial portion of an enemy base. Very few things (such as specialized structures that are in an armoured state by default) can survive a nuke blast, though the missiles can be easily intercepted by Protectors/Fortitudes.

====Juno====

The Juno is a much more limited ballistic 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. A cluster of these structures packed into a chokepoint or lined up in front of some Annihilators/Doomsday Machines can do quite a lot of damage. When not in use, they fold away into a concrete bunker, making them effectively immune to long-range artillery and even nuke strikes.

===Arm Level 2 Defensive Structures===

====Detonator====

The Detonator fires ballistic EMP missiles that paralyze units caught inside the blast. Their projectiles cannot be intercepted, making them very good at "preparing" enemy defensive structures or units for an attack. Like nukes and anti-nukes, the Detonator must build each shot before it can be used.

===Core Level 2 Defensive Structures===

====Inferno====

Wide-arc flamethrower. Good against swarms or for use in conjunction with several other Infernos against bigger units, or simply as one more extra support turret in a massively fortified front line.

====Catalyst====

A short-range tactical nuke launcher. The Catalyst's ballistic missile cannot be intercepted by anti-nukes but do significantly less damage than full-sized nukes. This makes them poor at destroying bases, but very good at softening up an enemy defensive line before an attack.

==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 KBots===

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====

Slightly 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 have a long range but 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 are shorter-ranged than Rocko/Storm rockets, but can 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 KBots===

====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 KBots===

The Core has no unique Level 1 KBots.

===Common Lvl 2 KBots===

====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-conceived 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 reanimated corpses of the enemy's attack force into your service to supplement 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 useful for getting past an enemy's defences. They also have a nanolathe, which can be used to reclaim wreckage, Dragon's Teeth, or slow enemy construction projects, though this will probably reveal your spy's location very quickly..

===Arm Lvl 2 KBots===

====Fido====

A very average level 2 KBot. Weaker than a [[#Zeus|Zeus]] or [[#Maverick|Maverick]] but faster and cheaper. Versatile but not particularly good at any one thing. The Fido has two fire modes, which can be toggled by switching its "Active State" between "On" and "Off". The default uses a long-range, slow-firing direct-fire gauss cannon. It's fairly accurate but relatively low-damage. The "Ballistic Cannon" mode fires a less-accurate shell that travels in a higher, ballistic arc, allowing it to fire over other units, Dragon's Teeth, and hills.

====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. Average durability and speed for an L2 unit, but capable of doing impressive damage. It destroys L1 units and light defences with ease. The Maverick also auto-repairs in combat and has a longer visual range than most units, making one or two good "spotters" for a unit of other KBots.

====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 opponents 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.

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.

====Scarab====

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.

===Core Lvl 2 KBots===

====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.

====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. Longer weapon range and more power, as well as a much faster fire rate. 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. Good at countering light Level 3 KBots. Like the Can, it has a combat auto-repair.

====Morty====

A support KBot with a very big gun. Has a long range and fires fast, 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 torpedoes 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 or Raiders near the front lines to reinforce your assault force can be very effective!

====Dominator====

Another artillery support KBot, the Dominator fires vertically-launched rockets. These are only slightly longer-ranged 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. Combined with radar jamming, a Skuttle can blast an impressive hole in even the toughest defences.

====Leejen====

A light and fast but totally unarmed scout KBot. Cheap unit, good for scouting ahead of a force for things like stealth units, mines, and enemy defences.

===Common Lvl 3 KBots===

====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 Annihilators/Doomsday Machines, 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, or a few Sumos, though it can outrun the Sumos.

====Marauder====

A medium amphibious assault unit. Very fast moving on land, and can be 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 bypass enemy defences.

====Aegis====

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 KBots===

====Krogoth====

An [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/wiki/Uberweapon Uberweapon]. Costs absurd amounts of resources. Slightly more powerful and tougher than the Orcone, and features a shotgun-style blaster which is ideal for concentrated fire on a single heavy target or spread fire over a swarm of lesser units.

====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 vulnerable 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. Juggernauts have a lot of hit points, so they can also be used as a sort of "rolling front line". Should ideally have a group of support construction units for when its job is done and it's lost a lot of health.

====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. In groups of three or more, these can tear apart an enemy base in as little as 60 seconds. They should be guarded well by units such as Sumos, Cans, and Karganeths.

==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 Vehicles===

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 equivalent 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.

====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 equivalent 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 (to their peril).

===Arm Lvl 1 Vehicles===

====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 Vehicles===

====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 Vehicles===

====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 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. They are slower than other forms of mobile artillery but tougher, making them good at assaulting enemy defensive structures.

====Triton/Croc====

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. The usual limitations of amphibious units apply.

===Arm Lvl 2 Vehicles===

====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.

====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 Vehicles===

====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, especially since it auto-repairs even during combat. 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!

====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. Its shots have a fairly large scatter, making them great at wiping out clustered defences or resource buildings.

====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.

==Aircraft==

Aircraft are airborne combat units. They're fast, can cross any terrain, but can take very little damage. Most aircraft are specialized, and designed for a specific task. Against units not built specifically to counter them, aircraft are very effective. Against anti-air units, they are at a significant disadvantage. Generally air units are not a base busting assault weapon, but anyone who assumes that they are useless will play at a significant disadvantage. Aircraft can be put to several uses, even in the late game:

Scouting: You've built a [[#Big Bertha/Intimidator|VLRPC]] (or ten). The sounds of each successive shell exploding in your enemy's base is slowly ratcheting up the pressure. But how do you know whether the pride of your army is destroying important enemy buildings, or killing peewees and solar collectors? Build some airplanes and have a look. You can then aim your Big Bertha at a worthy target. If your enemies build LRPCs, but only one player builds planes, guess who will find and destroy the opposing LRPCs first?

A few light aircraft can also be a great investment ahead of a ground attack. You can spot holes in the defence to aim for or unexpected resistance to retreat from before taking losses. They can provide line of sight for long range artillery to start pounding opposing defences. And what is that blob of units coming towards you on the radar? A plane can tell you if its 20 peewees or 20 goliaths. Any empty space on the map? Send a plane to scout at random intervals; you might find and prevent an opponent preparing a nasty surprise under cover of a radar jammer.

In general terms, scout aircraft are invaluable, as they're a very reliable mechanism for gathering precise information about the battlefield, even through heavy radar jamming and enemy fire.

Overwhelming: Focus efforts on building a large devestating force of bombers or gunships. With enough effort or against an unsuspecting victim, you may create a large enough air attack to devestate a base with insufficient anti-air defence. If your opponent ''does'' build enough anti-air defences, the setback to your economy from this effort will be serious.

Defence: An often overlooked aspect of aircraft is their use for base defence. They have the advantage of being able to intercept an attack from any direction quickly. If the attack force does not include a significant anti air componenent, your planes can attack while taking very little damage in return. [[#Hawk/Vamp|Hawks/Vamps]] are particularly good at this, and while they're unlikely to do fatal damage to ground units, they're excellent at intercepting and destroying enemy airstrikes. A few Arm Stilletos can provide an effective defence against nearly any attack.

Strategic strikes: Sometimes your opponent has a key building you badly want to destroy. It might be a [[#Retaliator/Silencer|nuclear silo]], [[#Protector/Fortitude|nuclear defence]], or a [[#Vulcan/Buzzsaw|rapid fire LRPC]]. Perhaps a [[#Moho Geothermal Powerplant|moho geothermal]], or [[#Advanced Fusion Reactor|advanced fusion]] that could take half the base with it if you can kill it. Or a [[#Commander|Commander]]. A determined bombing assault can often do the trick. Air has an unequaled ability to rapidly move and concentrate force to attack a key location. Just make sure the target is worth the effort, as in most games the planes that will get destroyed by anti-air in such a strike will represent a significant investment of resources. You'll need to use ground forces to capitalize on the strike.

All aircraft have a limited-range sonar, allowing them to see submerged units immediately under them. Aircraft generally cost larger amounts of energy, and lower amounts of metal when compared with other units. This can energy stall an unprepared player who tries to build an air force too early in the game. Aircraft also take a long time to build. Building an Air Factory as your first factory is a high-risk move guaranteed to slow down economic expansion drastrically.

===Common Lvl 1 Aircraft===

====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. Carries flares to reduce the effectiveness of guided AA weapons. They're best used as scouts, to spot targets for long-range artillery or attack forces. As they're cheap, fast, airborne, carry radar, and have a good sight range, Peepers and Finks are among the best scouts in the game. It's almost always worth building an L1 Aircraft Plant even if you only use it for building these.

====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. Although they're not specifically designed for it, a group of 20-30 of these can be quickly and cheaply built to harass enemy units to great effect. Great against level 1 aircraft, and useful against level 2 aircraft if built in a large enough swarm. They are also extremely effective against gunships, as gunships do not typically have guided weapons. A large swarm can also be surprisingly effective against light ground units. However their weapons tend to fire infrequently at ground unless specifically ordered to do so.

An effective tactic can be to slowly assemble a group of these and then use them to raid your enemy's resources; from then on, he'll be forced to build extensive anti-air even if you don't plan on ever using air again. If your enemy is spending half his resources to defend against an attack that's not coming....

====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 Aircraft===

====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 damage, 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 vulnerable to flak.

As with all gunships, banshees take slightly (~20%) reduced damage from missiles compared to other types of aircraft.

===Core Lvl 1 Aircraft===

====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 paralysing serious threats. It can hover, allowing it to attack slow-moving or stationary ground units very effectively but making it vulnerable to flak.

Many Core players have gone on the record to say that the only reason they like Core so much is the Bladewing. With its ability to temporarily remove any one unit from a fight, you can effectively take the wind out of your enemy's sails if that one unit is, for instance, a Bantha.

Be aware that superweapons and Commanders are nigh-invulnerable to paralyzer weapons. Concentrated fire may temporarily stun them, but they'll be back in action practically the instant you stop firing.

===Common Lvl 2 Aircraft===

====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. Before the enemy has significant flak defences, Brawlers and Rapiers are viable for assaults. After that point, they're best used to raid outposts that haven't yet had flak cannons installed, or harass assault forces that have insufficient AA cover.

====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, regardless of what it is. 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.

As advanced missile towers and flak get built, the ability of Phoenixes and Hurricanes to hit targets anywhere in a base diminishes. They remain useful for striking targets near the edge, and can be good for softening up a defence line or breaking a hole in it before an attack, but typically need to withdraw (or will be destroyed) after one or two passes.

Because of their bomb scattering attribute, a group of even 5+ Phoenix or Hurricanes can be used to quickly massacre even a moderately fast-moving attack group if it isn't protected by a strong anti-air presence.

====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 attacking ground targets. They're good at intercepting enemy airstrikes and providing AA defence for the skies over your base or contested territory.

====Eagle/Vulture====

A more sophisticated recon plane. Has a longer radar range and carries a real sonar. Information about your enemy's activities is vital for both attack and defence, and the Eagle/Vulture can tell you a lot. Since they're more expensive than the Peeper/Fink, they're less expendable, making them less useful for quick scouting once AA is deployed. Carry flares to improve their survivability against guided missiles.

===Arm Lvl 2 Aircraft===

====Blade====

A gunship with even more armor and an even bigger weapon. They're tough and reasonably fast, making them good support for your assault forces once the enemy deploys flak cannons and Mercuries/Screamers. Hawks/Vamps and Freedom Fighters/Avengers still work well against them.

Because of a Blade's heavy armor, they take only 50% damage from flak guns, in addition to the standard 20% damage reduction for missile attacks on gunships. In short, they're Arm's ultimate high-flying badasses.

====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 Hawks/Vamps and Freedom Fighters/Avengers, 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. These units are highly resiliant against anti-aircraft fire, with a relativley high amount of hitpoints, radar invisibility, and flares to deflect missiles. On the offensive it can be used to disable enemy AA or ground turrets, allowing you to move in a more damaging force. On defence it can disable large amounts of small units, or even the large mechs which have no defence against such aircraft.

===Core Lvl 2 Aircraft===

====Seahook====

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

====Krow====

Flying instagib. With its three heavy, rapid-firing lasers, it will kill anything that isn't a group of 5+ flak guns or a fighter swarm.

==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 Ships and Subs===

====Skeeter/Searcher====

The naval equivalent 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. They are also useful as anti-air for early attacks, before you can get/need the standard AA ships ([[#Archer/Shredder|Archer/Shredder]]).

====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 Ships and Subs===

====Abel/Caine====

A medium-range bombardment ship, the Abel/Caine packs a rapid-fire, long-range, highly inaccurate plasma cannon intended for shelling large targets, such as a cluster of shipyards or an enemy base near to the shoreline.

====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 much more accurate heavy laser. These ships can dominate enemy fleets but are expensive and very weak against submarines and aircraft. 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 sea-borne 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.

==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 Hovercraft===

====Mausser/Navarone====

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

====Swatter/Slinger====

An anti-air 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. Neither can stand up to proper tanks or ships, but they're very good for quick attacks over small bodies of water.

====Wombat/Nixer====

A hovercraft with a vertically-launched artillery rocket. Very similar to the Merl/Diplomat, but with a shorter range, faster fire rate, and lower 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.) These effectively form the tier 3 of aircraft. While the ranks of seaplanes do not include units like Krows or Krogoths, they are far more cost effective, more powerful, generally nimbler, faster, and so on. Seaplane factories can only be built on the water by Advanced Construction Submarines and Aircraft

===Common Lvl 1 Seaplanes===

====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. Carries flares to help protect it against guided missiles.

====Tornado/Voodoo====

Basic fighter seaplane. Similar to the Hawk/Vamp, but not stealthy and with a less powerful air-to-air missile. Although they will generally lose to a Hawk/Vamp in a head-to-head fight, they are far less expensive and faster to build.

====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. About the same general power level as a Brawler/Rapier, but slightly more cost-effective, quick, and nimble. 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/Maelstrom====

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.

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