Spring - User contributions [en]

Movedefs.lua

2012-03-02T17:49:00Z

Pxtl:

=Movedefs.lua=
==Location==
<code>movedefs.lua</code> is a file in the <code>Gamedata/</code> directory of a Spring Game.

==Purpose==
This file defines '''MoveClasses''' which are used to determine pathing for units.

==Source==
The engine source code which parses the data from this file is viewable here: {{sourcelink|file=rts/Sim/MoveTypes/MoveInfo.cpp}}

==Details==
A mobile unit is assigned a '''MoveClass''' using the <code>movementClass</code> [[Units-UnitDefs#Movement_.26_Placement|UnitDef]] tag. The engine determines the unit's pathfinding based on the properties of the '''MoveClass''', so analogous properties (e.g. <code>FootprintX</code>) in the [[Units-UnitDefs|UnitDef]] should be the same for optimal behaviour.

All '''MoveClasses''' must belong to one of four possible types. A '''MoveClass''' is assigned a type simply by including it within the name string e.g. <code>Tank_MyMoveClassName</code>. Types are used in '''TypeMaps''' of Spring maps, which allow mappers to set per-type speed multipliers.

===Types===
* <code>Bot</code> - A ground based '''MoveClass'''. The default type if no matching type string is found.
* <code>Tank</code> - A ground based '''MoveClass'''. Identical to <code>Bot</code> other than interaction with '''TypeMaps'''.
* <code>Ship</code> or <code>Boat</code> - Are synonyms. All ships / boat '''MoveClasses''' must belong to this type to behave as ships.
* <code>Hover</code> - All hovercraft '''MoveClasses''' (traverse any depth of water without speed reduction) must belong to this class, as well as having <code>canHover</code> in their [[Units-UnitDefs#Movement_.26_Placement|UnitDef]] to behave as hovers.

==MoveClass Tags==
{{tag
|name = name
|type = string
|default = ""
|description = The name of the '''MoveClass'''. Usually passed by the sub-table variable name rather than using the <code>name</code> tag (See [[#Example]]). Must contain "tank", "hover", "ship" or "boat" respectively for non-Bot types.
}}

{{tag
|name = footprintX
|type = int
|default = 1
|description = How wide the '''MoveClass''' is in footprint units, left to right. 1 footprint unit = 16 [[elmos]]. Cannot be below <code>1</code>. For mobile units this should be the same as the <code>footprintX</code> of its [[Units-UnitDefs#Movement_.26_Placement|UnitDef]].
}}

{{tag
|name = footprintZ
|type = int
|default = footprintX
|description = How wide the '''MoveClass''' is in footprint units, top to bottom. 1 footprint unit = 16 [[elmos]]. Cannot be below <code>1</code>. For mobile units this should be the same as the <code>footprintZ</code> of its [[Units-UnitDefs#Movement_.26_Placement|UnitDef]].
}}

{{tag
|name = crushStrength
|type = float
|default = 10.0
|description = Power of a unit with this '''MoveClass''' to crush features and units. Any features (and units with crushing enabled via [[Lua_SyncedCtrl#Unit_Control|Spring.SetUnitBlocking]]) with a <code>crushResistance</code> less than this value will be crushed on contact (See [[Units-FeatureDefs#General]] and [[Units-UnitDefs#General]]).
}}

{{tag
|name = maxSlope
|type = float
|default = 60.0</code> (<code>15.0</code> for hover types)<code> 
|description = The maximum steepness of slope a unit with this '''MoveClass''' can climb in degrees. For further details see [[#How_slope_is_determined]].}}

{{tag
|name = slopeMod
|type = float
|default = 4.0 / (maxSlope + 0.001)
|description = How much a slope will slow a unit, <code>0</code> means no slowdown.
}}

=== Heat Tags ===
These tags are used in unit avoidance. {{tag
|name = heatMapping
|type = bool
|default = false
|description = This enables/disables generation and usage of path heats.
}}

{{tag
|name = heatMod
|type = float
|default = 0.05
|description = The pathfinder cost modifier that is multiplied by the heat of the current square.
}}

{{tag
|name = heatProduced
|type = int
|default = 30
|description = How much heat to place on a square if a path goes through it. ''heat set = max(currentSquareHeat, <code>heatProduced</code>)''.
}}

=== Tank & Bot-Only Tags ===
{{tag
|name = depthMod
|type = float
|default = 0.1
|description = How much water will slow amphibious units. The deeper the water, the slower the movement.<span class="warning">Replaced with a subtable in Spring 86.x</span>
}}

{{tag
|name = maxWaterDepth
|type = float
|default = 0.0
|description = The maximum depth of water in [[elmos]] the unit can wade through.
}}

==== depthModParams ====
Depthmod has been broken out into the depthModParams group. depthModParams group contains several sub-tags. Depthmod is a system for changing the speed of units depending on how deep they are underwater.

(note by Pxtl: I have no idea about types or defaults, assuming all are float. Delete this note when cooked)

<code>
new formula is given by
if h < depthModParams.minHeight: 1.0
if h > depthModParams.maxHeight: 0.0
else:
depthScale = MAX(0.01, MIN(depthModParams.maxScale, (a * h * h) + (b * h) + c))
depthMod = 1 / depthScale
where
h = unit's absolute height below water surface
a = depthModParams.quadraticCoeff
b = depthModParams.linearCoeff
c = depthModParams.constantCoeff
</code>

{{tag
|name = minHeight
|type = float
|description = The minimum depth where the depthMod curve applies. If the unit is shallower than the minHeight, no change in speed occurs.
}}

{{tag
|name = maxHeight
|type = float
|description = The maximum depth where the depthMod curve applies. If the unit is deeper than the maxHeight, the unit is immobilized.
}}

The following tags control the behavior of the unit within the active portion of the curve (depth is greater than minHeight but less than maxHeight). It would be best to simply open up your graphing program of choice and use the provided formula, but if you're scared of graphs you should read the descriptions below:

{{tag
|name = maxScale
|type = float
|description = This is the cap on how severe the depth effect can be. That is, if maxscale is 2, the slowest the unit will go because of depth is half-speed. 4 = a quarter speed, and so on.
}}

{{tag
|name = quadraticCoeff
|type = float
|description = The application of the speed-divider effect is modeled as a quadratic. This is the "depth-squared" component of that. That is, a value set here will be applied exponentially as the unit gets deeper... use very small numbers for this one.
}}

{{tag
|name = quadraticCoeff
|type = float
|description = The application of the speed-divider effect is modeled as a quadratic. This component makes divisor increase linearly with the depth of the unit. So with a value of 0.1, for example, a unit would go from 1/2 speed to 1/3 speed and 1/3 speed to 1/4 speed each time it goes 10 units deeper.
}}

{{tag
|name = constantCoeff
|type = float
|description = The application of the speed-divider effect is modeled as a quadratic. This is the constant component of the divisor. If you want a gradual decrease of speed and your minHeight is 0 (the waterline) then this value *must* be 1. Using less than 1 will cause the unit to go *faster* as it hits the water, and using greater than 1 will cause the unit to abruptly slow down the moment it gets its feet wet. If you're not using a minHeight of 0, you'll have to adjust this value accordingly to get that same smooth application of the depthMod divider.
}}

=== Ship-Only Tags ===
{{tag
|name = minWaterDepth
|type = float
|default = 10.0
|description = The minimum depth of water in [[elmos]] the ship requires to float in.
}}

{{tag
|name = subMarine
|type = bool
|default = false
|description = Is the ship a submarine; can it move underneath other ships?
}}

==How slope is determined==
Spring doesn't represent terrain slopes in degrees, internally it uses
<code>(1.0 - the terrain normal's y-component)</code> so the slope of vertical faces is <code>1</code> and that of horizontal ones <code>0</code>. A unit's <code>maxSlope</code> value (which is in
degrees in its movedef) is converted so that the "can we go here?" (ie
"<code>maxSlope > terrainSlope</code>?") comparisons are meaningful, the formula
is <code>1.0 - cos(DEG2RAD(maxSlope * 1.5))</code>. If you want to know the terrain angle in degrees, compute <code>RAD2DEG(arccos(1.0 - terrainSlope))</code>. For a bot with a <code>maxSlope</code> of 36 degrees (~0.41221 in "Spring format"), the maximum tolerable terrain angle is approximately

<code>RAD2DEG(arccos(1.0 - 0.41221))</code>

or 54 degrees. If <code>maxSlope</code> was <code>30</code>, the MTTA would be 45, and if it was <code>60</code> (the highest sensible value due to that 1.5 scalar and the absence of overhanging cliffs) the bot could mount any terrain. In other words you do not need the long mathematical derivation, just remember that
<code>maxTerrainAngle = maxSlope * 1.5</code>

--kloot, Thu Jul 31, 2008

==Example==
===External Examples===
[http://imolarpg.dyndns.org/trac/balatest/browser/trunk/gamedata/movedefs.lua 'Balanced Annihilation' movedefs.lua]

[http://trac.caspring.org/browser/trunk/mods/ca/gamedata/movedefs.lua 'Complete Annihilation' movedefs.lua]

[http://spring1944.svn.sourceforge.net/viewvc/spring1944/trunk/S44Main.sdd/gamedata/movedefs.lua?&view=markup 'Spring: 1944' movedefs.lua]

[http://code.google.com/p/springtutorialgame/source/browse/trunk/SpringTutorialGame.sdd/Gamedata/movedefs.lua 'Spring Tutorial Game' movedefs.lua]

[http://code.google.com/p/zero-k/source/browse/trunk/mods/zk/gamedata/movedefs.lua 'ZeroK' movedefs.lua]
[[Category: Unit_development]]
[[Category:Gamedata]]

Movedefs.lua

2012-03-02T17:44:07Z

Pxtl: Explaining the new DepthMod tag group.

=Movedefs.lua=
==Location==
<code>movedefs.lua</code> is a file in the <code>Gamedata/</code> directory of a Spring Game.

==Purpose==
This file defines '''MoveClasses''' which are used to determine pathing for units.

==Source==
The engine source code which parses the data from this file is viewable here: {{sourcelink|file=rts/Sim/MoveTypes/MoveInfo.cpp}}

==Details==
A mobile unit is assigned a '''MoveClass''' using the <code>movementClass</code> [[Units-UnitDefs#Movement_.26_Placement|UnitDef]] tag. The engine determines the unit's pathfinding based on the properties of the '''MoveClass''', so analogous properties (e.g. <code>FootprintX</code>) in the [[Units-UnitDefs|UnitDef]] should be the same for optimal behaviour.

All '''MoveClasses''' must belong to one of four possible types. A '''MoveClass''' is assigned a type simply by including it within the name string e.g. <code>Tank_MyMoveClassName</code>. Types are used in '''TypeMaps''' of Spring maps, which allow mappers to set per-type speed multipliers.

===Types===
* <code>Bot</code> - A ground based '''MoveClass'''. The default type if no matching type string is found.
* <code>Tank</code> - A ground based '''MoveClass'''. Identical to <code>Bot</code> other than interaction with '''TypeMaps'''.
* <code>Ship</code> or <code>Boat</code> - Are synonyms. All ships / boat '''MoveClasses''' must belong to this type to behave as ships.
* <code>Hover</code> - All hovercraft '''MoveClasses''' (traverse any depth of water without speed reduction) must belong to this class, as well as having <code>canHover</code> in their [[Units-UnitDefs#Movement_.26_Placement|UnitDef]] to behave as hovers.

==MoveClass Tags==
{{tag
|name = name
|type = string
|default = ""
|description = The name of the '''MoveClass'''. Usually passed by the sub-table variable name rather than using the <code>name</code> tag (See [[#Example]]). Must contain "tank", "hover", "ship" or "boat" respectively for non-Bot types.
}}

{{tag
|name = footprintX
|type = int
|default = 1
|description = How wide the '''MoveClass''' is in footprint units, left to right. 1 footprint unit = 16 [[elmos]]. Cannot be below <code>1</code>. For mobile units this should be the same as the <code>footprintX</code> of its [[Units-UnitDefs#Movement_.26_Placement|UnitDef]].
}}

{{tag
|name = footprintZ
|type = int
|default = footprintX
|description = How wide the '''MoveClass''' is in footprint units, top to bottom. 1 footprint unit = 16 [[elmos]]. Cannot be below <code>1</code>. For mobile units this should be the same as the <code>footprintZ</code> of its [[Units-UnitDefs#Movement_.26_Placement|UnitDef]].
}}

{{tag
|name = crushStrength
|type = float
|default = 10.0
|description = Power of a unit with this '''MoveClass''' to crush features and units. Any features (and units with crushing enabled via [[Lua_SyncedCtrl#Unit_Control|Spring.SetUnitBlocking]]) with a <code>crushResistance</code> less than this value will be crushed on contact (See [[Units-FeatureDefs#General]] and [[Units-UnitDefs#General]]).
}}

{{tag
|name = maxSlope
|type = float
|default = 60.0</code> (<code>15.0</code> for hover types)<code> 
|description = The maximum steepness of slope a unit with this '''MoveClass''' can climb in degrees. For further details see [[#How_slope_is_determined]].}}

{{tag
|name = slopeMod
|type = float
|default = 4.0 / (maxSlope + 0.001)
|description = How much a slope will slow a unit, <code>0</code> means no slowdown.
}}

=== Heat Tags ===
These tags are used in unit avoidance. {{tag
|name = heatMapping
|type = bool
|default = false
|description = This enables/disables generation and usage of path heats.
}}

{{tag
|name = heatMod
|type = float
|default = 0.05
|description = The pathfinder cost modifier that is multiplied by the heat of the current square.
}}

{{tag
|name = heatProduced
|type = int
|default = 30
|description = How much heat to place on a square if a path goes through it. ''heat set = max(currentSquareHeat, <code>heatProduced</code>)''.
}}

=== Tank & Bot-Only Tags ===
{{tag
|name = depthMod
|type = float
|default = 0.1
|description = How much water will slow amphibious units. The deeper the water, the slower the movement.<span class="warning">Replaced with a subtable in Spring 86.x</span>
}}

{{tag
|name = maxWaterDepth
|type = float
|default = 0.0
|description = The maximum depth of water in [[elmos]] the unit can wade through.
}}

==== depthModParams ====
Depthmod has been broken out into the depthModParams group. depthModParams group contains several sub-tags. Depthmod is a system for changing the speed of units depending on how deep they are underwater.

<code>
new formula is given by
if h < depthModParams.minHeight: 1.0
if h > depthModParams.maxHeight: 0.0
else:
depthScale = MAX(0.01, MIN(depthModParams.maxScale, (a * h * h) + (b * h) + c))
depthMod = 1 / depthScale
where
h = unit's absolute height below water surface
a = depthModParams.quadraticCoeff
b = depthModParams.linearCoeff
c = depthModParams.constantCoeff
</code>

{{tag
|name = minHeight
|type = float
|description = The minimum depth where the depthMod curve applies. If the unit is shallower than the minHeight, no change in speed occurs.
}}

{{tag
|name = maxHeight
|type = float
|description = The maximum depth where the depthMod curve applies. If the unit is deeper than the maxHeight, the unit is immobilized.
}}

The following tags control the behavior of the unit within the active portion of the curve (depth is greater than minHeight but less than maxHeight). It would be best to simply open up your graphing program of choice and use the provided formula, but if you're scared of graphs you should read the descriptions below:

{{tag
|name = maxScale
|type = float
|description = This is the cap on how severe the depth effect can be. That is, if maxscale is 2, the slowest the unit will go because of depth is half-speed. 4 = a quarter speed, and so on.
}}

{{tag
|name = quadraticCoeff
|type = float
|description = The application of the speed-divider effect is modeled as a quadratic. This is the "depth-squared" component of that. That is, a value set here will be applied exponentially as the unit gets deeper... use very small numbers for this one.
}}

{{tag
|name = quadraticCoeff
|type = float
|description = The application of the speed-divider effect is modeled as a quadratic. This component makes divisor increase linearly with the depth of the unit. So with a value of 0.1, for example, a unit would go from 1/2 speed to 1/3 speed and 1/3 speed to 1/4 speed each time it goes 10 units deeper.
}}

{{tag
|name = constantCoeff
|type = float
|description = The application of the speed-divider effect is modeled as a quadratic. This is the constant component of the divisor. If you want a gradual decrease of speed and your minHeight is 0 (the waterline) then this value *must* be 1. Using less than 1 will cause the unit to go *faster* as it hits the water, and using greater than 1 will cause the unit to abruptly slow down the moment it gets its feet wet. If you're not using a minHeight of 0, you'll have to adjust this value accordingly to get that same smooth application of the depthMod divider.
}}

=== Ship-Only Tags ===
{{tag
|name = minWaterDepth
|type = float
|default = 10.0
|description = The minimum depth of water in [[elmos]] the ship requires to float in.
}}

{{tag
|name = subMarine
|type = bool
|default = false
|description = Is the ship a submarine; can it move underneath other ships?
}}

==How slope is determined==
Spring doesn't represent terrain slopes in degrees, internally it uses
<code>(1.0 - the terrain normal's y-component)</code> so the slope of vertical faces is <code>1</code> and that of horizontal ones <code>0</code>. A unit's <code>maxSlope</code> value (which is in
degrees in its movedef) is converted so that the "can we go here?" (ie
"<code>maxSlope > terrainSlope</code>?") comparisons are meaningful, the formula
is <code>1.0 - cos(DEG2RAD(maxSlope * 1.5))</code>. If you want to know the terrain angle in degrees, compute <code>RAD2DEG(arccos(1.0 - terrainSlope))</code>. For a bot with a <code>maxSlope</code> of 36 degrees (~0.41221 in "Spring format"), the maximum tolerable terrain angle is approximately

<code>RAD2DEG(arccos(1.0 - 0.41221))</code>

or 54 degrees. If <code>maxSlope</code> was <code>30</code>, the MTTA would be 45, and if it was <code>60</code> (the highest sensible value due to that 1.5 scalar and the absence of overhanging cliffs) the bot could mount any terrain. In other words you do not need the long mathematical derivation, just remember that
<code>maxTerrainAngle = maxSlope * 1.5</code>

--kloot, Thu Jul 31, 2008

==Example==
===External Examples===
[http://imolarpg.dyndns.org/trac/balatest/browser/trunk/gamedata/movedefs.lua 'Balanced Annihilation' movedefs.lua]

[http://trac.caspring.org/browser/trunk/mods/ca/gamedata/movedefs.lua 'Complete Annihilation' movedefs.lua]

[http://spring1944.svn.sourceforge.net/viewvc/spring1944/trunk/S44Main.sdd/gamedata/movedefs.lua?&view=markup 'Spring: 1944' movedefs.lua]

[http://code.google.com/p/springtutorialgame/source/browse/trunk/SpringTutorialGame.sdd/Gamedata/movedefs.lua 'Spring Tutorial Game' movedefs.lua]

[http://code.google.com/p/zero-k/source/browse/trunk/mods/zk/gamedata/movedefs.lua 'ZeroK' movedefs.lua]
[[Category: Unit_development]]
[[Category:Gamedata]]

PieceTrailCEGTag

2009-04-16T18:57:05Z

Pxtl:

From Kloot:

In case you missed the changelog entry, this can now be done using the new unit FBI tags pieceTrailCEGTag and pieceTrailCEGRange (where Tag is a string and Range is
an integer). If Tag is given, each piece of an exploding unit randomly loads one of <pieceTrailCEGRange> CEG's whose tag starts with the prefix <pieceTrailCEGTag> and
ends with a number in the range [0, pieceTrailCEGRange - 1]:<br/>

Code:<br/>
<code>
// CEG definitions<br/>
[Fire0]<br/>
...<br/>
[Fire1]<br/>
...<br/>
[Fire2]<br/>
...<br/>
[Fire3]<br/>
...<br/>

</code>
<br/>
Code:<br/>
<code><br/>
// unit FBI<br/>
pieceTrailCEGTag = "Fire";<br/>
pieceTrailCEGRange = 4;<br/>
</code><br/>

If range is 1 (default) then you only need Fire0 defined,
otherwise all possible <pieceTrailCEGRange> tags are
expected to be valid.

PieceTrailCEGTag

2009-04-16T18:54:29Z

Pxtl:

From Kloot:

In case you missed the changelog entry, this can now be
done using the new unit FBI tags pieceTrailCEGTag and
pieceTrailCEGRange (where Tag is a string and Range is
an integer). If Tag is given, each piece of an exploding
unit randomly loads one of <pieceTrailCEGRange> CEG's
whose tag starts with the prefix <pieceTrailCEGTag> and
ends with a number in the range [0, pieceTrailCEGRange - 1]:

Code:
<code>
// CEG definitions
[Fire0]
...
[Fire1]
...
[Fire2]
...
[Fire3]
...

</code>

Code:
<code>
// unit FBI
pieceTrailCEGTag = "Fire";
pieceTrailCEGRange = 4;
</code>

If range is 1 (default) then you only need Fire0 defined,
otherwise all possible <pieceTrailCEGRange> tags are
expected to be valid.

PieceTrailCEGTag

2009-04-16T18:54:05Z

Pxtl: New page: From Kloot: In case you missed the changelog entry, this can now be done using the new unit FBI tags pieceTrailCEGTag and pieceTrailCEGRange (where Tag is a string and Range is an integer...

From Kloot:

In case you missed the changelog entry, this can now be
done using the new unit FBI tags pieceTrailCEGTag and
pieceTrailCEGRange (where Tag is a string and Range is
an integer). If Tag is given, each piece of an exploding
unit randomly loads one of <pieceTrailCEGRange> CEG's
whose tag starts with the prefix <pieceTrailCEGTag> and
ends with a number in the range [0, pieceTrailCEGRange - 1]:

Code:
<code>
// CEG definitions
[Fire0]
...
[Fire1]
...
[Fire2]
...
[Fire3]
...

</code>

Code:
<code>
// unit FBI
pieceTrailCEGTag = "Fire";
pieceTrailCEGRange = 4;
</code>

If range is 1 (default) then you only need Fire0 defined,
otherwise all possible <pieceTrailCEGRange> tags are
expected to be valid.

CEG:Calls

2009-04-16T18:53:02Z

Pxtl: /* COB CEGs */

== Overview ==
There are three places where you can call a CEG: weapons, COB, and Lua.

== Weapon CEGs ==

There are three weapon tags that can spawn CEGs:

*cegtag: Spawns the CEG every frame at the weapon projectile's position and direction.
*explosionGenerator: Spawns the CEG when the weapon hits its target.
*bounceExplosionGenerator: For bouncing weapons only. Spawns the CEG when the weapon bounces.

You need to set these tags equal to custom:ExplosionGeneratorName. For example, in a .tdf,
<code>explosionGenerator=custom:ExplosionGeneratorName;</code>

== COB CEGs ==

Calling a CEG from COB requires two steps. First, in the unit's definition, you need to put

<code>
[sfxtypes] {
explosiongenerator0 = custom:ExplosionGeneratorName0;
explosiongenerator1 = custom:ExplosionGeneratorName1;
//and so on...
}
</code>

for a .fbi, or

<code>
sfxtypes = {
explosiongenerators = {
"custom:ExplosionGeneratorName0",
"custom:ExplosionGeneratorName1",
--and so on...
},
},
</code>

To actually generate the explosion, you need to <code>emit-sfx</code> 1024 plus the number of the explosion generator in the unit definition (the first one is 0, the next is 1, and so on). The CEG will have the position and direction of the piece you emit it from.

There is another tag, <code>[[pieceTrailCEGTag]]</code>, which is used in <code>explode [piece] FALL;</code> to spawn CEG trails behind falling pieces.

'''CEG_DAMAGE:''' In a COB script, you can do <code>SET CEG_DAMAGE [value]</code>. Any <code>emit-sfx</code> instructions will then use that value for the "damage" (use the 'd' operator to access this value).

== Lua CEGs ==
See [[Lua_SyncedCtrl]].

CEG:Calls

2009-04-16T18:52:26Z

Pxtl: /* COB CEGs */

== Overview ==
There are three places where you can call a CEG: weapons, COB, and Lua.

== Weapon CEGs ==

There are three weapon tags that can spawn CEGs:

*cegtag: Spawns the CEG every frame at the weapon projectile's position and direction.
*explosionGenerator: Spawns the CEG when the weapon hits its target.
*bounceExplosionGenerator: For bouncing weapons only. Spawns the CEG when the weapon bounces.

You need to set these tags equal to custom:ExplosionGeneratorName. For example, in a .tdf,
<code>explosionGenerator=custom:ExplosionGeneratorName;</code>

== COB CEGs ==

Calling a CEG from COB requires two steps. First, in the unit's definition, you need to put

<code>
[sfxtypes] {
explosiongenerator0 = custom:ExplosionGeneratorName0;
explosiongenerator1 = custom:ExplosionGeneratorName1;
//and so on...
}
</code>

for a .fbi, or

<code>
sfxtypes = {
explosiongenerators = {
"custom:ExplosionGeneratorName0",
"custom:ExplosionGeneratorName1",
--and so on...
},
},
</code>

To actually generate the explosion, you need to <code>emit-sfx</code> 1024 plus the number of the explosion generator in the unit definition (the first one is 0, the next is 1, and so on). The CEG will have the position and direction of the piece you emit it from.

There is another tag, <code>[pieceTrailCEGTag]</code>, which is used in <code>explode [piece] FALL;</code> to spawn CEG trails behind falling pieces.

'''CEG_DAMAGE:''' In a COB script, you can do <code>SET CEG_DAMAGE [value]</code>. Any <code>emit-sfx</code> instructions will then use that value for the "damage" (use the 'd' operator to access this value).

== Lua CEGs ==
See [[Lua_SyncedCtrl]].

Balanced Annihilation:Command Reference

2008-05-23T18:07:29Z

Pxtl:

For a more complete description of controls, see here: [[Using_Orders]]
<br>

<table style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;" border="1">
<tr>
<th>Left Mouse</th>
<td>Select unit/s (also perform selected order, eg: build selected building)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>Right Mouse</th>
<td>Default order. Depending on target:<br> Move (drag mouse for line formation)<br> Attack / Repair / Reclaim (drag to target an area)<br> Build incomplete building / Guard<br>If an order has been manually selected/hotkeyed, click to cancel.
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>Scroll Wheel</th>
<td>zoom in/out</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>Middle Mouse (click scroll wheel)</th>
<td>Move to point on minimap</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>L</th>
<td>(duplicates middle click functionality)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>SHIFT + (left/right click)</th>
<td>- Queue order. queue as many as you like.
(shift+drag to queue a line of buildings)<br>- Add/Remove units to group</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>X</th>
<td>On/Off (as the on/off button)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>A</th>
<td>Attack <small>(attack unit/ground)</small></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<tr>
<th>F</th>
<td>Fight <small>(units will stop to kill anything along the way)</small></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>K</th>
<td>Cloak on/off</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>D</th>
<td>D-Gun</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>G</th>
<td>Guard</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>M</th>
<td>Move</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>P</th>
<td>Patrol. <small>(Moves back and forth between current position and patrol position)</small></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>E</th>
<td>Reclaim</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>R</th>
<td>Repair</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>CTRL + D</th>
<td>Self Destruct</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>S</th>
<td>Stop</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>SHIFT + W</th>
<td>Queue 'wait' command</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>W</th>
<td>Stop waiting</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>CTRL + number (1-0)</th>
<td>Assign group</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>number (1-0)</th>
<td>Select group</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>Q</th>
<td>Assign/Select Current Group</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>Double Click</th>
<td>Select all units of targetted type in view</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>CTRL + Z</th>
<td>Select all units of selected type on map.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>CTRL + A</th>
<td>Select all units on map.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>` + drag Left Mouse</th>
<td>Draw on map</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>` + Middle click</th>
<td>Place marker</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>` + Right click</th>
<td>Erase markers and drawings</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>` + Double Click</th>
<td>Place marker with annotation</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>ENTER</th>
<td>Chat</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>ALT + ENTER</th>
<td>Allied chat</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>SHIFT + ENTER</th>
<td>Spectator chat</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>CTRL + ENTER</th>
<td>Return to global chat</td>
</tr>
</table>

Weapon Variables

2008-02-29T14:46:05Z

Pxtl: /* Descriptions */

<span style="text-align:center">
=Descriptions=
<table width=730 border="2" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse;">
<TR><th>Variable </th><th> Description </th><th> Examples</Th> </tr>
<TR>
<TD>Accuracy</TD>
<TD>How accurate a weapon is. A larger number is less accurate. If this tag is missing entirely, it has perfect accuracy unless its target moves unexpectedly. Accuracy is relative to the distance to the target; for instance, if the target is very close, even a very high accuracy value will probably still hit. If a target is very far away, even a very low accuracy value will likely cause the weapon to miss. Can be any numeric value.</TD>
<TD>accuracy=400;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>AlwaysVisible</TD>
<TD>Ignore LOS handling and always draw the weapon effect? Can be 1 or 0.</TD>
<TD>alwaysVisible=0;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>AreaOfEffect</TD>
<TD>How large the weapon's impact explosion is. This affects how powerful the weapon's default impulse strength will be. Currently, BeamLasers with an AreaOfEffect of 16 or above will deform the ground at their point of impact regardless of whether it has been told not to. Can be any numeric value, but should generally be at least 8, regardless of the type of weapon.</TD>
<TD>areaofeffect=192;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>AvoidFeature</TD>
<TD>This makes the weapon avoid features while targetting (the shoot will still collide with features). Can be 1 or 0.</TD>
<TD>avoidFeature=0;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>AvoidFriendly</TD>
<TD>If set to 0 units will not try to avoid friendly units in their line of fire. Can be 1 or 0.</TD>
<TD>avoidFriendly=1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>Ballistic</TD>
<TD>Set to 1 for the weapon to be subjected to gravity, travelling in an arc through the air, such as cannons. Ballistic is mutually exclusive to LineOfSight and Dropped. Can be 1 or 0.</TD>
<TD>ballistic=1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>BeamDecay</TD>
<TD>For BeamLasers, defines the speed of the fadeout (each frame the beam's intensity is multiplied with that value). Can be between 0 and 1.</TD>
<TD>beamDecay=0.9;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>BeamLaser</TD>
<TD>Whether this weapon is a beam laser or not. Beam lasers instantly hit their targets. Rendertype must be 0. Mutually exclusive to BeamWeapon. Can be 1 or 0.</TD>
<TD>beamlaser=1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>BeamTime</TD>
<TD>How long to fire the laser before waiting for ReloadTime to start. Can be any numeric value. Defaults to 1.</TD>
<TD>beamtime=0.5;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>BeamTTL</TD>
<TD>For BeamLasers, defines the time (in frames) the beam will stay after being fired. Can be any numeric value.</TD>
<TD>beamTtl=10;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>BeamWeapon</TD>
<TD>Whether this weapon is a regular laser or not. BeamWeapons (lasers) do not instantly hit their targets, and are affected by the weaponvelocity tag. Mutually exclusive to BeamLaser. Can be 1 or 0.</TD>
<TD>beamweapon=1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>BounceRebound</TD>
<TD>The amount of vertical velocity a projectile keeps when it bounces. Generally .3-1, but 0 for a sticky bomb, or 2 for a flubber bomb. Defaults to 1</TD>
<TD>bouncerebound=.8;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>BounceSlip</TD>
<TD>The amount of horizontal velocity a projectile keeps when it bounces. Generally .3-1, but 0 for a sticky bomb, or 2 for a flubber bomb. Defaults to 1</TD>
<TD>bounceslip=.8;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>BurnBlow</TD>
<TD>The weapon blows up when it reaches range the target was at when the weapon fired. Only works on plasma (rendertype=4) weapons and possibly missiles? Can be 1 or 0. A common usage is on flak guns.</TD>
<TD>burnblow=1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>Burst</TD>
<TD>How many shots are in a burst. Must be accompanied by burstrate. Can be any numeric value.</TD>
<TD>burst=3;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>BurstRate</TD>
<TD>How fast the Burst fires. If set much below 0.1, it stops having any discernable effect.</TD>
<TD>burstrate=0.1</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>CameraShake</TD>
<TD>How much the camera shakes on impact. (needs the cameraShake widget to work). Can be any numeric value.</TD>
<TD>cameraShake=5;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>CanAttackGround</TD>
<TD>Can be set to 1 or 0.</TD>
<TD>canAttackGround=0</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>CegTag</TD>
<TD>CegTag is the tag that emits a custom explosion every frame for a projectile. Can be used on any weapon to imitate dynamic lighting, smoke, fire, ball lightning, magic and many other things. Enter the name of your effect to make it emit once per frame.</TD>
<TD>cegtag=MISSILE_SMOKE_FX;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>Color</TD>
<TD>An obsolete tag only recognized for compatibility purposes. While this still works for lasers, using rgbcolor=X X X; is a much, much better route. Plus, the RGBColor tag will override any color=x; tags in the tdf. </TD>
<TD>color=1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>Color2</TD>
<TD>An obsolete tag only recognized for compatibility purposes.</TD>
<TD>color=2;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>ColorMap</TD>
<TD>Only used by flamethrower. Must be a CColorMap type.</TD>
<TD>colorMap=1 0 0 1  0 1 0 1;<br>(red to green fade)</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>CollideFriendly</TD>
<TD>If set to 0 this weapon will not hit friendly units. Can be set to 1 or 0.</TD>
<TD>collisionFriendly=1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>CollisionSize</TD>
<TD>Defines the physical size of projectiles, percentage of size for flamethrower and absolute value emg, plasma and laser. Can be any numeric value.</TD>
<TD>collisionSize=30;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>CommandFire</TD>
<TD>When ordered to attack ground this weapon will only fire once, rather than continuously. This does not work when ordered to attack units (It will continue to fire until the target is dead). If the unit has CanDgun=1 in its FBI, commandfire will identify that weapon with the dgun button. The weapon wont fire unless the dgun button is pressed. Can be set to 1 or 0.</TD>
<TD>commandfire=1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>CoreThickness</TD>
<TD>Thickness of the core of a laser (the part which use rgbcolor2). Can be any numeric value.</TD>
<TD>coreThickness=0.25;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>Coverage</TD>
<TD>The range for anti-weapon weapons, like antinukes. This will be shown on the minimap as a guide. Can be any numeric value.</TD>
<TD>coverage=1280;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>CraterBoost</TD>
<TD>Adds a constant factor to the terraform the explosion does. Can be any numeric value. (default 0)</TD>
<TD>craterMult=0.1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>CraterMult</TD>
<TD>Multiplies with the terraform the explosion does. Can be any numeric value. (default :=impulsFactor)</TD>
<TD>craterMult=1.2;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>CylinderTargetting</TD>
<TD>If greater than 0, range will be checked in a cylinder instead of a sphere:
half height=unitradius*cylinderTargetting
Defaults to 1 for Melee type weapons, 0 otherwise. In 0.76b1, does not work with BeamLaser weapons.([http://spring.clan-sy.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?p=219659#p219659 image])</TD>
<TD>cylinderTargetting=0;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>Dance</TD>
<TD>For missles, unlike wobble it doesn't rotate the missile and it prevents the missile from going too far off course so a dancing swarm will remain coherent. Can be any numeric value.</TD>
<TD>dance=97;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>Dropped</TD>
<TD>Sets the weapon to be dropped, like from a bomber. Must be RenderType=6 and needs the Model tag to be specified. Mutually exclusive to Ballistic and LineOfSight. Can be set to 1 or 0.</TD>
<TD>dropped=1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>Duration</TD>
<TD>For how many seconds a beam weapon will be fired before waiting for reload time. Also controls the length of the beam in BeamWeapon projectiles. Can be any numeric value. Used for rendertype 0 and 7 weapons.</TD>
<TD>duration=.5;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>DynDamageExp</TD>
<TD>Exponent of the range damage formula, 0 (the default) disables dynamic damage. 1 means linear scaling. Only used by BeamLasers and LightingCannons. Can be any numeric value.</TD>
<TD>dynDamageExp=0;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>DynDamageInverted</TD>
<TD>Inverts the damage curve (more damage at far range). Only used by BeamLasers and LightingCannons. Can be 0 or 1.</TD>
<TD>dynDamageInverted=0;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>DynDamageMin</TD>
<TD>Minimum dynamic range damage value. Only used by BeamLasers and LightingCannons. Can be any numeric value.</TD>
<TD>dynDamageMin=0;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>DynDamageRange</TD>
<TD>If set it will use this value in the dynamic range damage formula instead of the range value from the weapon in the calculation. Only used by BeamLasers and LightingCannons. Can be any numeric value.</TD>
<TD>DynDamageRange=400;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>EdgeEffectiveness</TD>
<TD>Determines what percent of a weapon's maximum damage value will be applied to units as they are closer to the outer edge of the weapon's AreaOfEffect. Must have a decimal value between 0 and 1. Default in OTA was 0, probably the same in Spring.</TD>
<TD>edgeeffectiveness=0.25;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>EnergyPerShot</TD>
<TD>Energy used per shot. If the specified amount of energy is not available, the weapon will not be able to shoot. Can also be used to specify how much a Stockpile weapon wll cost to build. Can be any numeric value.</TD>
<TD>energypershot=5;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>ExplosionSpeed</TD>
<TD>Explosion animation speed/time. (only used by BeamLaser and LightingCannon?) default:
gd=max(30, DefaultDamage/20);<br>
expSpeed=(8+(gd*2.5))/(9+(sqrt(gd)*.7))/2;<br>
Can be any numeric value.
</TD>
<TD>explosionSpeed=5;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>FallOffRate</TD>
<TD>Rate at which the beamweapon fades out after it goes past its maximum range. 0 is never fade out, 1 is finish fading out exactly at max range, the default 0.5 is the previous behaviour.
<TD>FallOffRate=0.5;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>FireStarter</TD>
<TD>How likely the weapon will set trees on fire. High values make trees likey to be set on fire, low values make trees likely to just explode or tip over. Can be any numeric value between 0 and 100.</TD>
<TD>fireStarter=75;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>FireSubmersed</TD>
<TD>If set the weapon can fire underwater, if not then not. Use it for weapons that cannot fire underwater but can hit underwater targets. Works even for torpedoes. Can be 0 or 1.</TD>
<TD>fireSubmersed=1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>FixedLauncher</TD>
<TD>For missiles, starburst missiles and torpedoes, this makes the projectile spawn with the orientation of the shooting piece instead of their normal orientation. The weapon will not properly check if allies are in the way so make sure you align the launchers in a way that won't hammer right into your own forces and perhaps use collideFriendly=0. FixedLauncher conflicts with trajectoryHeight and IMO combining them is pointless anyway so don't use both on a weapon. Can be 0 or 1.</TD>
<TD>fixedLauncher=0;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>FlameGFXTime</TD>
<TD>Makes the flamethrower projectile stay alive as a graphical effect (doesnt do any damage) after it has reached maxrange. It is defined in percent, so 1.2 makes it remain 20% beyond maxrange. Can be any numeric value.
<TD>flamegfxtime=1.2;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>FlightTime</TD>
<TD>Can be any numeric value.</TD>
<TD>flightTime=10;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>GroundBounce</TD>
<TD>Weather the weapon projectile will bounce on the ground (on land or the ocean floor). Can be 0 or 1, defaults to 0 (off)</TD>
<TD>groundbounce=1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>Guidance</TD>
<TD>Specifies whether or not the weapon is capable of correcting its trajectory mid-flight. Will not track a moving target. Works only on missile and torpedo weapons. Can be set to 1 or 0. See TurnRate for information on specifying how well a weapon can track a target. Requires rendertype=1, lineofsight=1, and selfprop=1;</TD>
<TD>guidance=1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>HardStop</TD>
<TD>For LaserCannon, defined if the laser effect hard stops or fade out. Can be 0 or 1.</TD>
<TD>hardStop=0;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>HeightBoostFactor</TD>
<TD>Gives control of cannon height range boost (more than 1 means increased range, 0 means the cannon has fixed range regardless of height difference to target. default is a magic value calculated on weapon init, based on range tag and theoretical max range.). Can be any numeric value, including negative ones (<0 := automatically calculated).</TD>
<TD>heightBoostFactor=-1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>HeightMod</TD>
<TD>Changes the sphere weapon range into an ellipsis. If it is larger 1.0 the weapon can't shoot as height as far, i.e. 0.5 means it can shoot twice as height as far ([http://spring.clan-sy.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?p=219659#p219659 image]). Note that this may not work well with beam weapons, use minIntensity (0..1) tag to fix that.</TD>
<TD>heightMod=1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>ImpulseBoost</TD>
<TD>A constant factor added on the weapon's impulsefactor. Can be any numeric value, including negative ones.</TD>
<TD>impulseBoost=0.5;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>ImpulseFactor</TD>
<TD>The multiplier on the weapon's default impulsefactor, which is determined based on a weapon's default damage and AreaOfEffect. The impulse of a weapon is how strong of a kinetic force will be applied to its target or anything near the point of impact. Can be any numeric value, including negative ones.</TD>
<TD>impulsefactor=2.5;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>Intensity</TD>
<TD>Alpha (brighness and washout effect) of the weapon. Can be used on any rendertype 0, 3, or 4 weapon. Can be any numeric value.</TD>
<TD>intensity=1.5;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>InterceptedByShieldType</TD>
<TD>Bitfield representing the types of shields that can intercept this weapon. The best way to think about this is to think of it as the resulting binary. Every digit of binary that is set to one means that a shield with that digit set to one will intercept this weapon, for instance, the example will result in the weapons being blocked by shields with types 1 and/or 3. Maxium of 32 unique types. See [[Shield Interception Tag Use]].</TD>
<TD>InterceptedByShieldType=5;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>Interceptor</TD>
<TD>Can intercept missiles with the Cruise tag.</TD>
<TD>interceptor=1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>LargeBeamLaser</TD>
<TD>If set to 1 a beamlaser uses an alternate graphics effect. Can be 0 or 1.</TD>
<TD>largeBeamLaser=0;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>LaserFlareSize</TD>
<TD>Size of the flare for laser weapons, multiplier for thickness. Can be set to any numeric value. (default: 15)</TD>
<TD>laserFlareSize=15;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>Leadbonus</TD>
<TD>Is multiplied with the unit's experience and added to the lead limit.</TD>
<TD>leadbonus=1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>LeadLimit</TD>
<TD>Limits the maximum distance a unit will lead a target (default is -1 which means infinite).</TD>
<TD>leadLimit=1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>LineOfSight</TD>
<TD>LineOfSight weapons ignore gravity and must have a direct line from the firing point to the impact point in order to be fired. Can be set to 1 or 0. Mutually exclusive to Ballistic and Dropped.</TD>
<TD>lineofsight=1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>LodDistance</TD>
<TD>Minimum camera distance at which the default beamweapon projectile is simplified to rectangle. Can be set to any numeric value. (default: 1000)</TD>
<TD>lodDistance=1000;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>ManualBombSettings</TD>
<TD>For Bombers, use burst and burstrate tags instead of hardcoded values. Can be set to 1 or 0.</TD>
<TD>manualBombSettings=1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>MetalPerShot</TD>
<TD>Metal used per shot. If the specified amount is not available, the weapon cannot be fired. Can also be used to specify how much a Stockpile weapon wll cost to build. Can be set to any numeric value.</TD>
<TD>metalpershot=500;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>MinIntensity</TD>
<TD>For beamlasers - always hit with some minimum intensity (a damage coeffcient normally dependent on distance - range 0 to 1). Can be set to any numeric value.</TD>
<TD>minIntensity=0.1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>Model</TD>
<TD>The 3DO or S3O model to be used as this weapon's physical representation. 3DO modesl do not need a .3do extension, but S3O weapon do.</TD>
<TD>model=missile;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>MovingAccuracy</TD>
<TD>A weapon's accuracy while moving. See Accuracy. Can be any numeric value.</TD>
<TD>movingaccuracy=1000;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>MyGravity</TD>
<TD>For ballistic weapons (Cannon and Bomb), it overrides the map gravity if used. Regular map gravity is around 0.2.</TD>
<TD>myGravity=0.2;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>NoExplode</TD>
<TD>Whether or not the weapon will explode on impact or continue on its path. An example is the d-gun. Can be set to 1 or 0.</TD>
<TD>noexplode=1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>NoSelfDamage</TD>
<TD>This weapon will not damage the unit that fired it. For instance, a nuke silo could shoot itself and not take any damage if this was active. Can be set to 1 or 0.</TD>
<TD>noselfdamage=1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>NumBounce</TD>
<TD>The maximum number of times a weapon will bounce. -1 for infinite. Defaults to -1</TD>
<TD>numbounce=5;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>Paralyzer</TD>
<TD>If active, this weapon will not cause any damage to its target, but will instead paralyze (aka EMP). The default damage value of a weapon with this active will be applied to the target's HP; once the HP is overwhelmed, it will be paralyzed. Can be set to 1 or 0.</TD>
<TD>paralyzer=1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>ParalyzerTime</TD>
<TD>On Paralyzer weapons, determines the maximum length of time the target will be paralyzed (In seconds?). The timer is refreshed every time the target is hit by the weapon. Can be set to any numerical value.</TD>
<TD>paralyzetime=10;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>PredictBoost</TD>
<TD>No idea what it does. Default 0 for non-burnblow, 0.5 for burnblow weapons. Can be set to any numerical value.</TD>
<TD>predictBoost=15;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>Projectiles</TD>
<TD>The weapon fires this many projectiles at once (shotgun style). Make sure you put them on different trajectories somehow (sprayangle or different firepoints) because otherwise they'll all be clumped in one shot. Works well combined with bursts. Can be set to any integer value.</TD>
<TD>projectiles=1o;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>ProximityPriority</TD>
<TD>Acts as a multiplier for the distance to the target in the priority calculation. Note that negative values make weapons prefer distant targets. Can be set to any numerical value.</TD>
<TD>proximityPriority=1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>PulseSpeed</TD>
<TD>On LargeBeamLaser, how fast the pulsating effect at the beam start is. Can be set to any numerical value.</TD>
<TD>pulseSpeed=15;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>Range</TD>
<TD>The maximum range of the weapon. If set to noexplode, the weapon will disappear after this range has been met. If set to burnblow, the weapon will explode after this range has been met. Can be set to any numerical value.</TD>
<TD>range=750;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>ReloadTime</TD>
<TD>The amount of time between shots. If a unit is paralyzed, this stops counting down. Can be set to any numerical value.</TD>
<TD>reloadtime=3.5;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>Rendertype</TD>
<TD>The way the weapon will be displayed. Certain rendertypes are incompatibile with other tags, but it's generally for a logical reason. The rendertypes are as follows: 0 - Laser, 1 - Model, 3 - Plasma, 4 - Unit explosion (usally), 5 - Flamethrower, 6 - Dropped, 7 - Lightning. There's no documented use of rendertype=2 in OTA, and it probably doesn't do anything in Spring. 3 and 4 are usually interchangeable, both can be used to render a plasma/EMG/whatever shot; this is probably for compatibility.</TD>
<TD>rendertype=1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>RGBColor</TD>
<TD>The color of the rendertype 0, 3, 4, 7 weapon, specified in RED_GREEN_BLUE format.</TD>
<TD>rgbcolor=1 0.3 1; - this would make evul-purple</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TR>
<TD>RGBColor2</TD>
<TD>The color at the core of a rendertype 0 (laser) weapon. Specified the same as above. Defaults to white.</TD>
<TD>RGBColor2=0 1 0; - this would make a weird green middle for the evul-purple laser</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>ScrollSeed</TD>
<TD>Only used by LargeBeamLaser. How fast the beam apears to be moving towards it target. Can be set to any numerical value.</TD>
<TD>scrollSeed=1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>Selfprop</TD>
<TD>Required for Guidance tag. This weapon can propel itself and can have things like acceleration, rather than always travelling at one speed. See Guidance, StartVelocity, WeaponAcceleration, WeaponVelocity. Can be set to 1 or 0.</TD>
<TD>selfprop=1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>Size</TD>
<TD>Defines the visible size of projectiles. Can be set to any numerical value.</TD>
<TD>size=10;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>SizeGrowth</TD>
<TD>Defines how fast flame projectiles will grow in size. Can be set to any numerical value.</TD>
<TD>sizegrowth=0.6;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>SmokeTrail</TD>
<TD>Does the projectile leave a smoke trail or not. Can be set to 1 or 0.</TD>
<TD>smoketrail=1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>SoundHit</TD>
<TD>The sound made whe the weapon hits. Must reference a .wav file in the .\Sounds directory.</TD>
<TD>soundhit=emghit;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>SoundHitVolume</TD>
<TD>Can be any numerical value between 0 and 1.</TD>
<TD>soundhitvolume=0.5;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>SoundStart</TD>
<TD>The sound made when the weapon begins to fire. Will fire only once if the weapon is shot in a burst. Must reference a .wav file in the .\Sounds directory.</TD>
<TD>soundstart=emgfire;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>SoundStartVolume</TD>
<TD>Can be any numerical value between 0 and 1.</TD>
<TD>soundstartvolume=0.5;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>SoundTrigger</TD>
<TD>If active, the weapon will sound every time a shot is fired in a burst sequence. Can be set to 1 or 0.</TD>
<TD>soundtrigger=1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>SprayAngle</TD>
<TD>How wide the the angle of a burst from a burst weapon can be. Very similar to Accuracy, except that if a weapon has no sprayangle, all the shots will be fired at the same spot, even if the weapon's aim is off.</TD>
<TD>sprayangle=1024;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>StartVelocity</TD>
<TD>The starting speed of the weapon as it is first fired. Only applicable to weapons that can accelerate.</TD>
<TD>startvelocity=200;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>Stockpile</TD>
<TD>Can this weapon be stockpiled, for instance like a nuke launcher. Can be set to 1 or 0.</TD>
<TD>stockpile=1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>SubMissile</TD>
<TD>For TorpedoLaunchers, if set to 1 the torpedo will travel like a missile outside of water. It will not emit a smoketrail, though. When fired from a plane it will behave the same way but the plane will probably be considered a fighter, not a bomber. Can be set to 1 or 0.</TD>
<TD>subMissile=0;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>SweepFire</TD>
<TD>If 1 (default 0) it will make the weapon continue firing while it aims for a new target. Only works on continous beam lasers currently. Can be set to 1 or 0.</TD>
<TD>SweepFire=1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>TargeBorder</TD>
<TD>If nonzero, targetting units will TryTarget at the edge of collision sphere (radius*tag_value, [-1;1]) instead of its centre. Can be set between 0 and 1. Defaults to 1 for Melee type weapons, 0 otherwise. ([http://spring.clan-sy.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?p=219659#p219659 image])</TD>
<TD>targetBorder=1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>Targetable</TD>
<TD>If active, the weapon will be automatically targeted by any Interceptor weapons.</TD>
<TD>targetable=1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>TargetMoveError</TD>
<TD>The degree to which a weapon's aiming will fail to keep up with its target's movement. If set very low or not set at all, a weapon will lead its target and almost always hit unless there's a lot of micromanagement on the part of the person controlling the target. If set too high (about 0.3 or above), the weapon will have a lot of difficulty even tracking its target enough to get a shot off. Can probably only be set between 0 and 1. Beyond 1, the weapon would be virtually useless.</TD>
<TD>targetmoveerror=0.15;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>Thickness</TD>
<TD>Thickness of a beamweapon or beamlaser, default is 2. Can be set to any numerical value.</TD>
<TD>thickness=4;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>TileLength</TD>
<TD>Only used by LargeBeamLaser. Defines the length before the texture used is repeated (tiled).</TD>
<TD>tileLength=4;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>ToAirWeapon</TD>
<TD>If active, the weapon will only be capable of targetting units which are flying, or are capable of flying. Can be set to 0 or 1.</TD>
<TD>toairweapon=1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>Tolerance</TD>
<TD>The amount to which the weapon's "real" aim can be off while the weapon will still be able to fire accurately at the target. This worked in OTA, but I'm not 100% sure if it works in Spring. Can be set to any numerical value.</TD>
<TD>tolerance=1500;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>Tracks</TD>
<TD>If the missile tracks a moving target. Can be set to 1 or 0.</TD>
<TD>tracks=1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>TrajectoryHeight</TD>
<TD>The height of the arc of a missile weapon. It is useful for compensating for mountains or debris. Is relative to the weapons speed (Higher speed, higher arc) and the range the weapon is firing at (Lower range lower arc). Requires Guidance and Turnrate to hit its target when over 1. </TD>
<TD>trajectoryheight=0.8;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>Turnrate</TD>
<TD>How fast a guided weapon can turn. Can be any numerical value between 0 and 64000. If set to 0, the weapon can't turn at all, if set to 64000, the weapon can literally defy all known physics and turn 180 degrees in a fraction of a second. This is relative to a weapon's velocity; a weapon with a very low velocity (~200) wouldn't need a very high turnrate to keep up with a fighter, although it would probably never catch it because of its slow speed. A weapon with a very high velocity (~1000) would need a very high value in order to be able to hit targets that turn suddenly.
<TD>turnrate=32000;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>Turret</TD>
<TD>Set to 1 if weapon is used by a turret that rotates. Set to 0 if weapon is forward firing, ie, has no rotating turret piece.</TD>
<TD>turret=1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>TwoPhase</TD>
<TD>Weapon operates in two phases... eh... yeah, I honestly have no idea what the difference between this and VLaunch is. Generally use it with VLaunch as well. Can be set to 1 or 0.</TD>
<TD>twophase=1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>VLaunch</TD>
<TD>Set to 1 to launch the weapon vertically. Can only be used with missile-type weapons with a TurnRate. Cannot be used at the same time as Turret. Set to 1 or 0.</TD>
<TD>vlaunch=1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>WaterBounce</TD>
<TD>Weather the weapon projectile will bounce on the surface of the water. Can be 0 or 1, defaults to 0 (off)</TD>
<TD>waterbounce=1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>WaterWeapon</TD>
<TD>Water weapons behave somewhat like Dropped weapons out of water, and like missiles underwater. Is the only type of weapon that can fire under water. Can be set to 1 or 0.</TD>
<TD>waterweapon=1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>WeaponAcceleration</TD>
<TD>Tells the weapon how fast it should accelerate from its StartVelocity to its actual WeaponVelocity. Increases the weapon's velocity every second by the amount specified. Can be any numerical value.</TD>
<TD>weaponacceleration=50;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>WeaponTimer</TD>
<TD>;How long until the weapon will go into its second phase. For use with missile weapons. For VLaunch weapons, the weapon will turn to actually go towards its target after the specified number of seconds has expired. For non-VLaunch missiles with a TurnRate, the weapon will go randomly off-course after this period of time. Can be set to any numerical value.</TD>
<TD>weapontimer=5;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>WeaponVelocity</TD>
<TD>The speed the weapon moves after being fired. If StartVelocity is lower than this number, the weapon will increase speed to its WeaponVelocity at the rate specified by its WeaponAcceleration.</TD>
<TD>weaponvelocity=800;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>Wobble</TD>
<TD>The amount that a missile will wobble off-course. Requires TurnRate. Turnrate will wrestle with wobble to keep the weapon on course, so wobble must be high enough to compensate to have any effect. Can be set to any numerical value between 0 and 64000.</TD>
<TD>wobble=15000;</TD>
</TR>
</table>
NOTE: Variables that are defined by either a 1 or a 0 are BOOLEAN, where 1 means TRUE and 0 means FALSE.

NOTE 2: "Any numerical value" for things that relate to angles really means any value between 0 and 64,000 since that's between 0 and 360 degrees in spring measurement. Setting it higher than 64,000 will bring it 'full circle' so to speak.
<BR><BR>

=Texture Tags=
<center>
<table width=500 border="2" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 1em; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse;">
<TR><th> Weapon </th><th> Used Texture Tags </th> </tr>
<TR>
<TD>AircraftBomb</TD>
<TD>texture1 = projectile</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>BeamLaser</TD>
<TD>texture1 = beam<br>texture2 = beamend<br>texture3 = flare<br></TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>PlasmaCannon</TD>
<TD>texture1 = projectile</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>EmgCannon</TD>
<TD>texture1 = projectile</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>FlameThrower</TD>
<TD>texture1 = flame</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>LargeBeamLaser</TD>
<TD>texture1 = beam<br>texture2 = beamend<br>texture3 = muzzle<br>texture4 = flare<br></TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>LaserCannon</TD>
<TD>texture1 = beam<br>texture2 = beamend<br></TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>LightingCannon</TD>
<TD>texture1 = beam<br></TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>MissileLauncher</TD>
<TD>texture1 = flare<br>texture2 = smoketrail<br></TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>Shield</TD>
<TD>texture1 = shield</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>StarburstLauncher</TD>
<TD>texture1 = flare<br>texture2 = smoketrail<br>texture3 = flame<br></TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>TorpedoLauncher</TD>
<TD>texture1 = projectile<br></TD>
</TR>
</TABLE>
</center>
NOTE: All textures need to be `atlased`. So you have to define them in the '''resources.tdf''' and use the reference name in the texture tags.
<BR><BR>

=Plasma Visuals=
<table width=730 border="2" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse;">
<TR><th>Variable </th><th> Description </th><th> Examples</Th> </tr>
<TR>
<TD>AlphaDecay</TD>
<TD>How much a plasma particle is more transparent than the previous particle. Can be set to any numerical value. (default: 1)</TD>
<TD>AlphaDecay=0.95;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>NoGap</TD>
<TD>If set to 1, the distance between plasma particles is proportional to the size of the two particles. If set to 0, the distance between plasma particles will be proportional to the size of the first particle.
Can be set to 1 or 0. (default: 1)</TD>
<TD>NoGap=0;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>Separation</TD>
<TD>Distance between each plasma particle. Can be set to any number value. (default: 1)</TD>
<TD>Separation=5;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>SizeDecay</TD>
<TD>How much a plasma particle is smaller than the previous within the same plasma shot. Can be set to any numerical value. (default: 0)</TD>
<TD>SizeDecay=0.2;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>Stages</TD>
<TD>Number of particles used in one plasma shot. Can be set to any number value. (default: 5)</TD>
<TD>Stages=20;</TD>
</TR>
</table>
<BR><BR>

=Shield/Repulsor Descriptions=
<table width=730 border="2" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse;">
<TR><th>Variable </th><th> Description </th><th> Examples</Th> </tr>
<TR>
<TD>ExteriorShield</TD>
<TD>If set to 1, the shield/repulsor will not have any effect on weapons fired from within its field. Can be 1 or 0.</TD>
<TD>exteriorshield=1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>IsShield</TD>
<TD>If set to 1, this "weapon" is no longer a weapon, is now a repulsor or a shield, based on the other properties given to it. Can be 1 or 0.</TD>
<TD>isshield=1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>ShieldAlpha</TD>
<TD>How clearly visible the shield is, if you have VisibleShield turned on. Value is between 0 and 1.</TD>
<TD>shieldalpha=0.4;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>ShieldEnergyUse</TD>
<TD>The amount of energy used to repulse or destroy weapons. Will be used constantly while the weapon is in its area of effect if it is a repulsor, will be used only once on impact if it is a shield.</TD>
<TD>shieldenergyuse=1500;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>ShieldForce</TD>
<TD>The force applied to weapons, an arbitrary number. Set to 1, it will not deflect very well. Only for use on repulsor-type. Can be set to any numerical value.</TD>
<TD>shieldforce=1.75;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>ShieldBadColor</TD>
<TD>The color the shield is when it is at 0% strength, if you have VisibleShield turned on. Defined in R G B format.</TD>
<TD>shieldbadcolor=0 1 0;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>ShieldGoodColor</TD>
<TD>The color the shield is when it is at 100% strength, if you have VisibleShield turned on.</TD>
<TD>shieldgoodcolor=1 0 0;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>ShieldInterceptType</TD>
<TD>Bitfield representing the types of weapons that this shield can intercept. The best way to think about this is to think of it as the resulting binary. Every digit of binary that is set to one means that a weapon with that digit set to one will be intercepted by this shield, for instance, the example will result in the shield blocking weapons with types 2 and/or 3. Maxium of 32 unique types. See [[Shield Interception Tag Use]].</TD>
<TD>ShieldInterceptType=6;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>ShieldMaxSpeed</TD>
<TD>The maximum speed the repulsor will push weapons away at. Only for use on repulsor-type. Can be set to any numerical value.</TD>
<TD>shieldmaxspeed=400;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>ShieldPower</TD>
<TD>How much "power" a shield can store. "Power" is not the same as energy; think of it as the shield/repulsor's private battery source. It can be drained completely by defending against weapons, even if you have lots of energy. ''Power is drained by the affected weapons damage.'' Can be set to any numerical value.</TD>
<TD>shieldpower=1000;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>ShieldPowerRegen</TD>
<TD>How quickly the shield regenerates its "power", even when under attack. Regenerates the amount specified every second. Can be set to any numerical value.</TD>
<TD>shieldpowerregen=25;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>ShieldPowerRegenEnergy</TD>
<TD>How much energy is required to keep the shield regenerating its "power". For instance, you might have it set so that 100 units of energy are necessary for every 25 units of "power".</TD>
<TD>shieldpowerregenenergy=100;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>ShieldRadius</TD>
<TD>Defines the size of the area the shield/repulsor protects. Can be set to any numerical value.</TD>
<TD>shieldradius=500;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>ShieldRepulsor</TD>
<TD>If set to 1, the "shield"-type weapon will repulse projectiles. If set to 0, it will destroy them. Can be set to 1 or 0.</TD>
<TD>shieldrepulsor=1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>ShieldStartingPower</TD>
<TD>If set the shield starts with this much power instead of 0. Can be set to any numerical value.</TD>
<TD>shieldStartingPower=100;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>SmartShield</TD>
<TD>If set to 1, the shield/repulsor will not affect owned/allied weapons. Can be set to 1 or 0.</TD>
<TD>smartshield=1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>VisibleShield</TD>
<TD>If set to 1, the shield will be visible. Only for use on shield-type. Can be set to 1 or 0.</TD>
<TD>visibleshield=1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>VisibleShieldHitFrames</TD>
<TD>Numbers of frames how long the shield should be visible after it got hit (the alpha value fades after the hit). Can be set to any numerical value. (default: 0 frames)</TD>
<TD>visibleShieldHitFrames=5;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>VisibleShieldRepulse</TD>
<TD>If set to 1, the repulsing effect will be visible. Only for use on repulsor-type. Can be set to 1 or 0.</TD>
<TD>visibleshieldrepulse=1;</TD>
</TR>
</table>
</span>

[[category:Weapons]]

[[category:Shields]]

Weapon Variables

2008-02-20T16:36:52Z

Pxtl: /* Descriptions */

<span style="text-align:center">
=Descriptions=
<table width=730 border="2" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse;">
<TR><th>Variable </th><th> Description </th><th> Examples</Th> </tr>
<TR>
<TD>Accuracy</TD>
<TD>How accurate a weapon is. A larger number is less accurate. If this tag is missing entirely, it has perfect accuracy unless its target moves unexpectedly. Accuracy is relative to the distance to the target; for instance, if the target is very close, even a very high accuracy value will probably still hit. If a target is very far away, even a very low accuracy value will likely cause the weapon to miss. Can be any numeric value.</TD>
<TD>accuracy=400;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>AlwaysVisible</TD>
<TD>Ignore LOS handling and always draw the weapon effect? Can be 1 or 0.</TD>
<TD>alwaysVisible=0;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>AreaOfEffect</TD>
<TD>How large the weapon's impact explosion is. This affects how powerful the weapon's default impulse strength will be. Currently, BeamLasers with an AreaOfEffect of 16 or above will deform the ground at their point of impact regardless of whether it has been told not to. Can be any numeric value, but should generally be at least 8, regardless of the type of weapon.</TD>
<TD>areaofeffect=192;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>AvoidFeature</TD>
<TD>This makes the weapon avoid features while targetting (the shoot will still collide with features). Can be 1 or 0.</TD>
<TD>avoidFeature=0;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>AvoidFriendly</TD>
<TD>If set to 0 units will not try to avoid friendly units in their line of fire. Can be 1 or 0.</TD>
<TD>avoidFriendly=1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>Ballistic</TD>
<TD>Set to 1 for the weapon to be subjected to gravity, travelling in an arc through the air, such as cannons. Ballistic is mutually exclusive to LineOfSight and Dropped. Can be 1 or 0.</TD>
<TD>ballistic=1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>BeamDecay</TD>
<TD>For BeamLasers, defines the speed of the fadeout (each frame the beam's intensity is multiplied with that value). Can be between 0 and 1.</TD>
<TD>beamDecay=0.9;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>BeamLaser</TD>
<TD>Whether this weapon is a beam laser or not. Beam lasers instantly hit their targets. Rendertype must be 0. Mutually exclusive to BeamWeapon. Can be 1 or 0.</TD>
<TD>beamlaser=1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>BeamTime</TD>
<TD>How long to fire the laser before waiting for ReloadTime to start. Can be any numeric value. Defaults to 1.</TD>
<TD>beamtime=0.5;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>BeamTTL</TD>
<TD>For BeamLasers, defines the time (in frames) the beam will stay after being fired. Can be any numeric value.</TD>
<TD>beamTtl=10;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>BeamWeapon</TD>
<TD>Whether this weapon is a regular laser or not. BeamWeapons (lasers) do not instantly hit their targets, and are affected by the weaponvelocity tag. Mutually exclusive to BeamLaser. Can be 1 or 0.</TD>
<TD>beamweapon=1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>BounceRebound</TD>
<TD>The amount of vertical velocity a projectile keeps when it bounces. Generally .3-1, but 0 for a sticky bomb, or 2 for a flubber bomb. Defaults to 1</TD>
<TD>bouncerebound=.8;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>BounceSlip</TD>
<TD>The amount of horizontal velocity a projectile keeps when it bounces. Generally .3-1, but 0 for a sticky bomb, or 2 for a flubber bomb. Defaults to 1</TD>
<TD>bounceslip=.8;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>BurnBlow</TD>
<TD>The weapon blows up when it reaches range the target was at when the weapon fired. Only works on plasma (rendertype=4) weapons and possibly missiles? Can be 1 or 0. A common usage is on flak guns.</TD>
<TD>burnblow=1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>Burst</TD>
<TD>How many shots are in a burst. Must be accompanied by burstrate. Can be any numeric value.</TD>
<TD>burst=3;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>BurstRate</TD>
<TD>How fast the Burst fires. If set much below 0.1, it stops having any discernable effect.</TD>
<TD>burstrate=0.1</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>CameraShake</TD>
<TD>How much the camera shakes on impact. (needs the cameraShake widget to work). Can be any numeric value.</TD>
<TD>cameraShake=5;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>CanAttackGround</TD>
<TD>Can be set to 1 or 0.</TD>
<TD>canAttackGround=0</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>CegTag</TD>
<TD>CegTag is the tag that emits a custom explosion every frame for a projectile. Can be used on any weapon to imitate dynamic lighting, smoke, fire, ball lightning, magic and many other things. Enter the name of your effect to make it emit once per frame.</TD>
<TD>cegtag=MISSILE_SMOKE_FX;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>Color</TD>
<TD>An obsolete tag only recognized for compatibility purposes. While this still works for lasers, using rgbcolor=X X X; is a much, much better route. Plus, the RGBColor tag will override any color=x; tags in the tdf. </TD>
<TD>color=1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>Color2</TD>
<TD>An obsolete tag only recognized for compatibility purposes.</TD>
<TD>color=2;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>ColorMap</TD>
<TD>Only used by flamethrower. Must be a CColorMap type.</TD>
<TD>colorMap=1 0 0 1  0 1 0 1;<br>(red to green fade)</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>CollideFriendly</TD>
<TD>If set to 0 this weapon will not hit friendly units. Can be set to 1 or 0.</TD>
<TD>collisionFriendly=1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>CollisionSize</TD>
<TD>Defines the physical size of projectiles, percentage of size for flamethrower and absolute value emg, plasma and laser. Can be any numeric value.</TD>
<TD>collisionSize=30;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>CommandFire</TD>
<TD>When ordered to attack ground this weapon will only fire once, rather than continuously. This does not work when ordered to attack units (It will continue to fire until the target is dead). If the unit has CanDgun=1 in its FBI, commandfire will identify that weapon with the dgun button. The weapon wont fire unless the dgun button is pressed. Can be set to 1 or 0.</TD>
<TD>commandfire=1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>CoreThickness</TD>
<TD>Thickness of the core of a laser (the part which use rgbcolor2). Can be any numeric value.</TD>
<TD>coreThickness=0.25;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>Coverage</TD>
<TD>The range for anti-weapon weapons, like antinukes. This will be shown on the minimap as a guide. Can be any numeric value.</TD>
<TD>coverage=1280;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>CraterBoost</TD>
<TD>Adds a constant factor to the terraform the explosion does. Can be any numeric value. (default 0)</TD>
<TD>craterMult=0.1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>CraterMult</TD>
<TD>Multiplies with the terraform the explosion does. Can be any numeric value. (default :=impulsFactor)</TD>
<TD>craterMult=1.2;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>CylinderTargetting</TD>
<TD>If greater than 0, range will be checked in a cylinder instead of a sphere:
half height=unitradius*cylinderTargetting
Defaults to 1 for Melee type weapons, 0 otherwise. ([http://spring.clan-sy.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?p=219659#p219659 image])</TD>
<TD>cylinderTargetting=0;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>Dance</TD>
<TD>For missles, unlike wobble it doesn't rotate the missile and it prevents the missile from going too far off course so a dancing swarm will remain coherent. Can be any numeric value.</TD>
<TD>dance=97;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>Dropped</TD>
<TD>Sets the weapon to be dropped, like from a bomber. Must be RenderType=6 and needs the Model tag to be specified. Mutually exclusive to Ballistic and LineOfSight. Can be set to 1 or 0.</TD>
<TD>dropped=1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>Duration</TD>
<TD>For how many seconds a beam weapon will be fired before waiting for reload time. Also controls the length of the beam in BeamWeapon projectiles. Can be any numeric value. Used for rendertype 0 and 7 weapons.</TD>
<TD>duration=.5;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>DynDamageExp</TD>
<TD>Exponent of the range damage formula, 0 (the default) disables dynamic damage. 1 means linear scaling. Only used by BeamLasers and LightingCannons. Can be any numeric value.</TD>
<TD>dynDamageExp=0;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>DynDamageInverted</TD>
<TD>Inverts the damage curve (more damage at far range). Only used by BeamLasers and LightingCannons. Can be 0 or 1.</TD>
<TD>dynDamageInverted=0;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>DynDamageMin</TD>
<TD>Minimum dynamic range damage value. Only used by BeamLasers and LightingCannons. Can be any numeric value.</TD>
<TD>dynDamageMin=0;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>DynDamageRange</TD>
<TD>If set it will use this value in the dynamic range damage formula instead of the range value from the weapon in the calculation. Only used by BeamLasers and LightingCannons. Can be any numeric value.</TD>
<TD>DynDamageRange=400;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>EdgeEffectiveness</TD>
<TD>Determines what percent of a weapon's maximum damage value will be applied to units as they are closer to the outer edge of the weapon's AreaOfEffect. Must have a decimal value between 0 and 1. Default in OTA was 0, probably the same in Spring.</TD>
<TD>edgeeffectiveness=0.25;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>EnergyPerShot</TD>
<TD>Energy used per shot. If the specified amount of energy is not available, the weapon will not be able to shoot. Can also be used to specify how much a Stockpile weapon wll cost to build. Can be any numeric value.</TD>
<TD>energypershot=5;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>ExplosionSpeed</TD>
<TD>Explosion animation speed/time. (only used by BeamLaser and LightingCannon?) default:
gd=max(30, DefaultDamage/20);<br>
expSpeed=(8+(gd*2.5))/(9+(sqrt(gd)*.7))/2;<br>
Can be any numeric value.
</TD>
<TD>explosionSpeed=5;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>FallOffRate</TD>
<TD>Rate at which the beamweapon fades out after it goes past its maximum range. 0 is never fade out, 1 is finish fading out exactly at max range, the default 0.5 is the previous behaviour.
<TD>FallOffRate=0.5;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>FireStarter</TD>
<TD>How likely the weapon will set trees on fire. High values make trees likey to be set on fire, low values make trees likely to just explode or tip over. Can be any numeric value between 0 and 100.</TD>
<TD>fireStarter=75;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>FireSubmersed</TD>
<TD>If set the weapon can fire underwater, if not then not. Use it for weapons that cannot fire underwater but can hit underwater targets. Works even for torpedoes. Can be 0 or 1.</TD>
<TD>fireSubmersed=1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>FixedLauncher</TD>
<TD>For missiles, starburst missiles and torpedoes, this makes the projectile spawn with the orientation of the shooting piece instead of their normal orientation. The weapon will not properly check if allies are in the way so make sure you align the launchers in a way that won't hammer right into your own forces and perhaps use collideFriendly=0. FixedLauncher conflicts with trajectoryHeight and IMO combining them is pointless anyway so don't use both on a weapon. Can be 0 or 1.</TD>
<TD>fixedLauncher=0;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>FlameGFXTime</TD>
<TD>Makes the flamethrower projectile stay alive as a graphical effect (doesnt do any damage) after it has reached maxrange. It is defined in percent, so 1.2 makes it remain 20% beyond maxrange. Can be any numeric value.
<TD>flamegfxtime=1.2;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>FlightTime</TD>
<TD>Can be any numeric value.</TD>
<TD>flightTime=10;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>GroundBounce</TD>
<TD>Weather the weapon projectile will bounce on the ground (on land or the ocean floor). Can be 0 or 1, defaults to 0 (off)</TD>
<TD>groundbounce=1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>Guidance</TD>
<TD>Specifies whether or not the weapon is capable of correcting its trajectory mid-flight. Will not track a moving target. Works only on missile and torpedo weapons. Can be set to 1 or 0. See TurnRate for information on specifying how well a weapon can track a target. Requires rendertype=1, lineofsight=1, and selfprop=1;</TD>
<TD>guidance=1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>HardStop</TD>
<TD>For LaserCannon, defined if the laser effect hard stops or fade out. Can be 0 or 1.</TD>
<TD>hardStop=0;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>HeightBoostFactor</TD>
<TD>Gives control of cannon height range boost (more than 1 means increased range, 0 means the cannon has fixed range regardless of height difference to target. default is a magic value calculated on weapon init, based on range tag and theoretical max range.). Can be any numeric value, including negative ones (<0 := automatically calculated).</TD>
<TD>heightBoostFactor=-1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>HeightMod</TD>
<TD>Changes the sphere weapon range into an ellipsis. If it is larger 1.0 the weapon can't shoot as height as far, i.e. 0.5 means it can shoot twice as height as far ([http://spring.clan-sy.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?p=219659#p219659 image]). Note that this may not work well with beam weapons, use minIntensity (0..1) tag to fix that.</TD>
<TD>heightMod=1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>ImpulseBoost</TD>
<TD>A constant factor added on the weapon's impulsefactor. Can be any numeric value, including negative ones.</TD>
<TD>impulseBoost=0.5;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>ImpulseFactor</TD>
<TD>The multiplier on the weapon's default impulsefactor, which is determined based on a weapon's default damage and AreaOfEffect. The impulse of a weapon is how strong of a kinetic force will be applied to its target or anything near the point of impact. Can be any numeric value, including negative ones.</TD>
<TD>impulsefactor=2.5;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>Intensity</TD>
<TD>Alpha (brighness and washout effect) of the weapon. Can be used on any rendertype 0, 3, or 4 weapon. Can be any numeric value.</TD>
<TD>intensity=1.5;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>InterceptedByShieldType</TD>
<TD>Bitfield representing the types of shields that can intercept this weapon. The best way to think about this is to think of it as the resulting binary. Every digit of binary that is set to one means that a shield with that digit set to one will intercept this weapon, for instance, the example will result in the weapons being blocked by shields with types 1 and/or 3. Maxium of 32 unique types. See [[Shield Interception Tag Use]].</TD>
<TD>InterceptedByShieldType=5;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>Interceptor</TD>
<TD>Can intercept missiles with the Cruise tag.</TD>
<TD>interceptor=1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>LargeBeamLaser</TD>
<TD>If set to 1 a beamlaser uses an alternate graphics effect. Can be 0 or 1.</TD>
<TD>largeBeamLaser=0;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>LaserFlareSize</TD>
<TD>Size of the flare for laser weapons, multiplier for thickness. Can be set to any numeric value. (default: 15)</TD>
<TD>laserFlareSize=15;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>Leadbonus</TD>
<TD>Is multiplied with the unit's experience and added to the lead limit.</TD>
<TD>leadbonus=1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>LeadLimit</TD>
<TD>Limits the maximum distance a unit will lead a target (default is -1 which means infinite).</TD>
<TD>leadLimit=1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>LineOfSight</TD>
<TD>LineOfSight weapons ignore gravity and must have a direct line from the firing point to the impact point in order to be fired. Can be set to 1 or 0. Mutually exclusive to Ballistic and Dropped.</TD>
<TD>lineofsight=1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>LodDistance</TD>
<TD>Minimum camera distance at which the default beamweapon projectile is simplified to rectangle. Can be set to any numeric value. (default: 1000)</TD>
<TD>lodDistance=1000;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>ManualBombSettings</TD>
<TD>For Bombers, use burst and burstrate tags instead of hardcoded values. Can be set to 1 or 0.</TD>
<TD>manualBombSettings=1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>MetalPerShot</TD>
<TD>Metal used per shot. If the specified amount is not available, the weapon cannot be fired. Can also be used to specify how much a Stockpile weapon wll cost to build. Can be set to any numeric value.</TD>
<TD>metalpershot=500;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>MinIntensity</TD>
<TD>For beamlasers - always hit with some minimum intensity (a damage coeffcient normally dependent on distance - range 0 to 1). Can be set to any numeric value.</TD>
<TD>minIntensity=0.1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>Model</TD>
<TD>The 3DO or S3O model to be used as this weapon's physical representation. 3DO modesl do not need a .3do extension, but S3O weapon do.</TD>
<TD>model=missile;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>MovingAccuracy</TD>
<TD>A weapon's accuracy while moving. See Accuracy. Can be any numeric value.</TD>
<TD>movingaccuracy=1000;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>MyGravity</TD>
<TD>For ballistic weapons (Cannon and Bomb), it overrides the map gravity if used. Regular map gravity is around 0.2.</TD>
<TD>myGravity=0.2;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>NoExplode</TD>
<TD>Whether or not the weapon will explode on impact or continue on its path. An example is the d-gun. Can be set to 1 or 0.</TD>
<TD>noexplode=1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>NoSelfDamage</TD>
<TD>This weapon will not damage the unit that fired it. For instance, a nuke silo could shoot itself and not take any damage if this was active. Can be set to 1 or 0.</TD>
<TD>noselfdamage=1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>NumBounce</TD>
<TD>The maximum number of times a weapon will bounce. -1 for infinite. Defaults to -1</TD>
<TD>numbounce=5;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>Paralyzer</TD>
<TD>If active, this weapon will not cause any damage to its target, but will instead paralyze (aka EMP). The default damage value of a weapon with this active will be applied to the target's HP; once the HP is overwhelmed, it will be paralyzed. Can be set to 1 or 0.</TD>
<TD>paralyzer=1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>ParalyzerTime</TD>
<TD>On Paralyzer weapons, determines the maximum length of time the target will be paralyzed (In seconds?). The timer is refreshed every time the target is hit by the weapon. Can be set to any numerical value.</TD>
<TD>paralyzetime=10;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>PredictBoost</TD>
<TD>No idea what it does. Default 0 for non-burnblow, 0.5 for burnblow weapons. Can be set to any numerical value.</TD>
<TD>predictBoost=15;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>Projectiles</TD>
<TD>The weapon fires this many projectiles at once (shotgun style). Make sure you put them on different trajectories somehow (sprayangle or different firepoints) because otherwise they'll all be clumped in one shot. Works well combined with bursts. Can be set to any integer value.</TD>
<TD>projectiles=1o;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>ProximityPriority</TD>
<TD>Acts as a multiplier for the distance to the target in the priority calculation. Note that negative values make weapons prefer distant targets. Can be set to any numerical value.</TD>
<TD>proximityPriority=1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>PulseSpeed</TD>
<TD>On LargeBeamLaser, how fast the pulsating effect at the beam start is. Can be set to any numerical value.</TD>
<TD>pulseSpeed=15;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>Range</TD>
<TD>The maximum range of the weapon. If set to noexplode, the weapon will disappear after this range has been met. If set to burnblow, the weapon will explode after this range has been met. Can be set to any numerical value.</TD>
<TD>range=750;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>ReloadTime</TD>
<TD>The amount of time between shots. If a unit is paralyzed, this stops counting down. Can be set to any numerical value.</TD>
<TD>reloadtime=3.5;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>Rendertype</TD>
<TD>The way the weapon will be displayed. Certain rendertypes are incompatibile with other tags, but it's generally for a logical reason. The rendertypes are as follows: 0 - Laser, 1 - Model, 3 - Plasma, 4 - Unit explosion (usally), 5 - Flamethrower, 6 - Dropped, 7 - Lightning. There's no documented use of rendertype=2 in OTA, and it probably doesn't do anything in Spring. 3 and 4 are usually interchangeable, both can be used to render a plasma/EMG/whatever shot; this is probably for compatibility.</TD>
<TD>rendertype=1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>RGBColor</TD>
<TD>The color of the rendertype 0, 3, 4, 7 weapon, specified in RED_GREEN_BLUE format.</TD>
<TD>rgbcolor=1 0.3 1; - this would make evul-purple</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TR>
<TD>RGBColor2</TD>
<TD>The color at the core of a rendertype 0 (laser) weapon. Specified the same as above. Defaults to white.</TD>
<TD>RGBColor2=0 1 0; - this would make a weird green middle for the evul-purple laser</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>ScrollSeed</TD>
<TD>Only used by LargeBeamLaser. How fast the beam apears to be moving towards it target. Can be set to any numerical value.</TD>
<TD>scrollSeed=1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>Selfprop</TD>
<TD>Required for Guidance tag. This weapon can propel itself and can have things like acceleration, rather than always travelling at one speed. See Guidance, StartVelocity, WeaponAcceleration, WeaponVelocity. Can be set to 1 or 0.</TD>
<TD>selfprop=1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>Size</TD>
<TD>Defines the visible size of projectiles. Can be set to any numerical value.</TD>
<TD>size=10;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>SizeGrowth</TD>
<TD>Defines how fast flame projectiles will grow in size. Can be set to any numerical value.</TD>
<TD>sizegrowth=0.6;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>SmokeTrail</TD>
<TD>Does the projectile leave a smoke trail or not. Can be set to 1 or 0.</TD>
<TD>smoketrail=1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>SoundHit</TD>
<TD>The sound made whe the weapon hits. Must reference a .wav file in the .\Sounds directory.</TD>
<TD>soundhit=emghit;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>SoundHitVolume</TD>
<TD>Can be any numerical value between 0 and 1.</TD>
<TD>soundhitvolume=0.5;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>SoundStart</TD>
<TD>The sound made when the weapon begins to fire. Will fire only once if the weapon is shot in a burst. Must reference a .wav file in the .\Sounds directory.</TD>
<TD>soundstart=emgfire;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>SoundStartVolume</TD>
<TD>Can be any numerical value between 0 and 1.</TD>
<TD>soundstartvolume=0.5;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>SoundTrigger</TD>
<TD>If active, the weapon will sound every time a shot is fired in a burst sequence. Can be set to 1 or 0.</TD>
<TD>soundtrigger=1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>SprayAngle</TD>
<TD>How wide the the angle of a burst from a burst weapon can be. Very similar to Accuracy, except that if a weapon has no sprayangle, all the shots will be fired at the same spot, even if the weapon's aim is off.</TD>
<TD>sprayangle=1024;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>StartVelocity</TD>
<TD>The starting speed of the weapon as it is first fired. Only applicable to weapons that can accelerate.</TD>
<TD>startvelocity=200;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>Stockpile</TD>
<TD>Can this weapon be stockpiled, for instance like a nuke launcher. Can be set to 1 or 0.</TD>
<TD>stockpile=1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>SubMissile</TD>
<TD>For TorpedoLaunchers, if set to 1 the torpedo will travel like a missile outside of water. It will not emit a smoketrail, though. When fired from a plane it will behave the same way but the plane will probably be considered a fighter, not a bomber. Can be set to 1 or 0.</TD>
<TD>subMissile=0;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>SweepFire</TD>
<TD>If 1 (default 0) it will make the weapon continue firing while it aims for a new target. Only works on continous beam lasers currently. Can be set to 1 or 0.</TD>
<TD>SweepFire=1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>TargeBorder</TD>
<TD>If nonzero, targetting units will TryTarget at the edge of collision sphere (radius*tag_value, [-1;1]) instead of its centre. Can be set between 0 and 1. Defaults to 1 for Melee type weapons, 0 otherwise. ([http://spring.clan-sy.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?p=219659#p219659 image])</TD>
<TD>targetBorder=1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>Targetable</TD>
<TD>If active, the weapon will be automatically targeted by any Interceptor weapons.</TD>
<TD>targetable=1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>TargetMoveError</TD>
<TD>The degree to which a weapon's aiming will fail to keep up with its target's movement. If set very low or not set at all, a weapon will lead its target and almost always hit unless there's a lot of micromanagement on the part of the person controlling the target. If set too high (about 0.3 or above), the weapon will have a lot of difficulty even tracking its target enough to get a shot off. Can probably only be set between 0 and 1. Beyond 1, the weapon would be virtually useless.</TD>
<TD>targetmoveerror=0.15;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>Thickness</TD>
<TD>Thickness of a beamweapon or beamlaser, default is 2. Can be set to any numerical value.</TD>
<TD>thickness=4;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>TileLength</TD>
<TD>Only used by LargeBeamLaser. Defines the length before the texture used is repeated (tiled).</TD>
<TD>tileLength=4;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>ToAirWeapon</TD>
<TD>If active, the weapon will only be capable of targetting units which are flying, or are capable of flying. Can be set to 0 or 1.</TD>
<TD>toairweapon=1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>Tolerance</TD>
<TD>The amount to which the weapon's "real" aim can be off while the weapon will still be able to fire accurately at the target. This worked in OTA, but I'm not 100% sure if it works in Spring. Can be set to any numerical value.</TD>
<TD>tolerance=1500;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>Tracks</TD>
<TD>If the missile tracks a moving target. Can be set to 1 or 0.</TD>
<TD>tracks=1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>TrajectoryHeight</TD>
<TD>The height of the arc of a missile weapon. It is useful for compensating for mountains or debris. Is relative to the weapons speed (Higher speed, higher arc) and the range the weapon is firing at (Lower range lower arc). Requires Guidance and Turnrate to hit its target when over 1. </TD>
<TD>trajectoryheight=0.8;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>Turnrate</TD>
<TD>How fast a guided weapon can turn. Can be any numerical value between 0 and 64000. If set to 0, the weapon can't turn at all, if set to 64000, the weapon can literally defy all known physics and turn 180 degrees in a fraction of a second. This is relative to a weapon's velocity; a weapon with a very low velocity (~200) wouldn't need a very high turnrate to keep up with a fighter, although it would probably never catch it because of its slow speed. A weapon with a very high velocity (~1000) would need a very high value in order to be able to hit targets that turn suddenly.
<TD>turnrate=32000;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>Turret</TD>
<TD>Set to 1 if weapon is used by a turret that rotates. Set to 0 if weapon is forward firing, ie, has no rotating turret piece.</TD>
<TD>turret=1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>TwoPhase</TD>
<TD>Weapon operates in two phases... eh... yeah, I honestly have no idea what the difference between this and VLaunch is. Generally use it with VLaunch as well. Can be set to 1 or 0.</TD>
<TD>twophase=1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>VLaunch</TD>
<TD>Set to 1 to launch the weapon vertically. Can only be used with missile-type weapons with a TurnRate. Cannot be used at the same time as Turret. Set to 1 or 0.</TD>
<TD>vlaunch=1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>WaterBounce</TD>
<TD>Weather the weapon projectile will bounce on the surface of the water. Can be 0 or 1, defaults to 0 (off)</TD>
<TD>waterbounce=1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>WaterWeapon</TD>
<TD>Water weapons behave somewhat like Dropped weapons out of water, and like missiles underwater. Is the only type of weapon that can fire under water. Can be set to 1 or 0.</TD>
<TD>waterweapon=1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>WeaponAcceleration</TD>
<TD>Tells the weapon how fast it should accelerate from its StartVelocity to its actual WeaponVelocity. Increases the weapon's velocity every second by the amount specified. Can be any numerical value.</TD>
<TD>weaponacceleration=50;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>WeaponTimer</TD>
<TD>;How long until the weapon will go into its second phase. For use with missile weapons. For VLaunch weapons, the weapon will turn to actually go towards its target after the specified number of seconds has expired. For non-VLaunch missiles with a TurnRate, the weapon will go randomly off-course after this period of time. Can be set to any numerical value.</TD>
<TD>weapontimer=5;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>WeaponVelocity</TD>
<TD>The speed the weapon moves after being fired. If StartVelocity is lower than this number, the weapon will increase speed to its WeaponVelocity at the rate specified by its WeaponAcceleration.</TD>
<TD>weaponvelocity=800;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>Wobble</TD>
<TD>The amount that a missile will wobble off-course. Requires TurnRate. Turnrate will wrestle with wobble to keep the weapon on course, so wobble must be high enough to compensate to have any effect. Can be set to any numerical value between 0 and 64000.</TD>
<TD>wobble=15000;</TD>
</TR>
</table>
NOTE: Variables that are defined by either a 1 or a 0 are BOOLEAN, where 1 means TRUE and 0 means FALSE.

NOTE 2: "Any numerical value" for things that relate to angles really means any value between 0 and 64,000 since that's between 0 and 360 degrees in spring measurement. Setting it higher than 64,000 will bring it 'full circle' so to speak.
<BR><BR>

=Texture Tags=
<center>
<table width=500 border="2" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 1em; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse;">
<TR><th> Weapon </th><th> Used Texture Tags </th> </tr>
<TR>
<TD>AircraftBomb</TD>
<TD>texture1 = projectile</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>BeamLaser</TD>
<TD>texture1 = beam<br>texture2 = beamend<br>texture3 = flare<br></TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>PlasmaCannon</TD>
<TD>texture1 = projectile</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>EmgCannon</TD>
<TD>texture1 = projectile</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>FlameThrower</TD>
<TD>texture1 = flame</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>LargeBeamLaser</TD>
<TD>texture1 = beam<br>texture2 = beamend<br>texture3 = muzzle<br>texture4 = flare<br></TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>LaserCannon</TD>
<TD>texture1 = beam<br>texture2 = beamend<br></TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>LightingCannon</TD>
<TD>texture1 = beam<br></TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>MissileLauncher</TD>
<TD>texture1 = flare<br>texture2 = smoketrail<br></TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>Shield</TD>
<TD>texture1 = shield</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>StarburstLauncher</TD>
<TD>texture1 = flare<br>texture2 = smoketrail<br>texture3 = flame<br></TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>TorpedoLauncher</TD>
<TD>texture1 = projectile<br></TD>
</TR>
</TABLE>
</center>
NOTE: All textures need to be `atlased`. So you have to define them in the '''resources.tdf''' and use the reference name in the texture tags.
<BR><BR>

=Plasma Visuals=
<table width=730 border="2" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse;">
<TR><th>Variable </th><th> Description </th><th> Examples</Th> </tr>
<TR>
<TD>AlphaDecay</TD>
<TD>How much a plasma particle is more transparent than the previous particle. Can be set to any numerical value. (default: 1)</TD>
<TD>AlphaDecay=0.95;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>NoGap</TD>
<TD>If set to 1, the distance between plasma particles is proportional to the size of the two particles. If set to 0, the distance between plasma particles will be proportional to the size of the first particle.
Can be set to 1 or 0. (default: 1)</TD>
<TD>NoGap=0;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>Separation</TD>
<TD>Distance between each plasma particle. Can be set to any number value. (default: 1)</TD>
<TD>Separation=5;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>SizeDecay</TD>
<TD>How much a plasma particle is smaller than the previous within the same plasma shot. Can be set to any numerical value. (default: 0)</TD>
<TD>SizeDecay=0.2;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>Stages</TD>
<TD>Number of particles used in one plasma shot. Can be set to any number value. (default: 5)</TD>
<TD>Stages=20;</TD>
</TR>
</table>
<BR><BR>

=Shield/Repulsor Descriptions=
<table width=730 border="2" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse;">
<TR><th>Variable </th><th> Description </th><th> Examples</Th> </tr>
<TR>
<TD>ExteriorShield</TD>
<TD>If set to 1, the shield/repulsor will not have any effect on weapons fired from within its field. Can be 1 or 0.</TD>
<TD>exteriorshield=1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>IsShield</TD>
<TD>If set to 1, this "weapon" is no longer a weapon, is now a repulsor or a shield, based on the other properties given to it. Can be 1 or 0.</TD>
<TD>isshield=1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>ShieldAlpha</TD>
<TD>How clearly visible the shield is, if you have VisibleShield turned on. Value is between 0 and 1.</TD>
<TD>shieldalpha=0.4;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>ShieldEnergyUse</TD>
<TD>The amount of energy used to repulse or destroy weapons. Will be used constantly while the weapon is in its area of effect if it is a repulsor, will be used only once on impact if it is a shield.</TD>
<TD>shieldenergyuse=1500;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>ShieldForce</TD>
<TD>The force applied to weapons, an arbitrary number. Set to 1, it will not deflect very well. Only for use on repulsor-type. Can be set to any numerical value.</TD>
<TD>shieldforce=1.75;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>ShieldBadColor</TD>
<TD>The color the shield is when it is at 0% strength, if you have VisibleShield turned on. Defined in R G B format.</TD>
<TD>shieldbadcolor=0 1 0;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>ShieldGoodColor</TD>
<TD>The color the shield is when it is at 100% strength, if you have VisibleShield turned on.</TD>
<TD>shieldgoodcolor=1 0 0;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>ShieldInterceptType</TD>
<TD>Bitfield representing the types of weapons that this shield can intercept. The best way to think about this is to think of it as the resulting binary. Every digit of binary that is set to one means that a weapon with that digit set to one will be intercepted by this shield, for instance, the example will result in the shield blocking weapons with types 2 and/or 3. Maxium of 32 unique types. See [[Shield Interception Tag Use]].</TD>
<TD>ShieldInterceptType=6;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>ShieldMaxSpeed</TD>
<TD>The maximum speed the repulsor will push weapons away at. Only for use on repulsor-type. Can be set to any numerical value.</TD>
<TD>shieldmaxspeed=400;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>ShieldPower</TD>
<TD>How much "power" a shield can store. "Power" is not the same as energy; think of it as the shield/repulsor's private battery source. It can be drained completely by defending against weapons, even if you have lots of energy. ''Power is drained by the affected weapons damage.'' Can be set to any numerical value.</TD>
<TD>shieldpower=1000;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>ShieldPowerRegen</TD>
<TD>How quickly the shield regenerates its "power", even when under attack. Regenerates the amount specified every second. Can be set to any numerical value.</TD>
<TD>shieldpowerregen=25;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>ShieldPowerRegenEnergy</TD>
<TD>How much energy is required to keep the shield regenerating its "power". For instance, you might have it set so that 100 units of energy are necessary for every 25 units of "power".</TD>
<TD>shieldpowerregenenergy=100;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>ShieldRadius</TD>
<TD>Defines the size of the area the shield/repulsor protects. Can be set to any numerical value.</TD>
<TD>shieldradius=500;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>ShieldRepulsor</TD>
<TD>If set to 1, the "shield"-type weapon will repulse projectiles. If set to 0, it will destroy them. Can be set to 1 or 0.</TD>
<TD>shieldrepulsor=1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>ShieldStartingPower</TD>
<TD>If set the shield starts with this much power instead of 0. Can be set to any numerical value.</TD>
<TD>shieldStartingPower=100;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>SmartShield</TD>
<TD>If set to 1, the shield/repulsor will not affect owned/allied weapons. Can be set to 1 or 0.</TD>
<TD>smartshield=1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>VisibleShield</TD>
<TD>If set to 1, the shield will be visible. Only for use on shield-type. Can be set to 1 or 0.</TD>
<TD>visibleshield=1;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>VisibleShieldHitFrames</TD>
<TD>Numbers of frames how long the shield should be visible after it got hit (the alpha value fades after the hit). Can be set to any numerical value. (default: 0 frames)</TD>
<TD>visibleShieldHitFrames=5;</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>VisibleShieldRepulse</TD>
<TD>If set to 1, the repulsing effect will be visible. Only for use on repulsor-type. Can be set to 1 or 0.</TD>
<TD>visibleshieldrepulse=1;</TD>
</TR>
</table>
</span>

[[category:Weapons]]

[[category:Shields]]

Talk:Main Page

2008-01-31T19:31:46Z

Pxtl: Culling out spam.

====Discussion Archive====
I moved what has been discussed up to now to [[Talk:Main Page/archive1]] as it is not really of interest at the moment.

== Category system ==

My previous proposal slightly refinded:

3 Main Categories:

#Development
#Content
#Playing / using the engine

(IÃ‚Â´d be thankful for good ideas for category names)

'''Development''' is really two categories in one:
* Spring engine development
* Content Development

'''Content''' is all about the mods, maps etc. that have been created, including strategies for mods

'''Playing / using the engine''' is only for infos that are true for all mods, maps and AIÃ‚Â´s,
so basicly its installing, getting a game set up, interface infos, changing settings and such.

IÃ‚Â´d also make a 4. Category, for: about the wiki, how to make pages, which category system :D, etc. (the documentation of the documentation)

The only thing which is kind of missing in this system is where "feature requests" the montly topic rotation and such things go.

For a more indepth (and presumably less understandable) explanation go to [[user_talk:SeanHeron|my talk page]].

If nobody responds to this, IÃ‚Â´m going to do it in the next few days :D

-- [[User:SeanHeron|SeanHeron]]

:Sounds good, go ahead and implement it. One other category you could use would be Misc, which would fit in the random stuff like the MTR page.

:--[[User:Maelstrom|Maelstrom]] 11:58, 17 Mar 2006 (W. Europe Standard Time)

==Browse the Wiki moved back here==

I moved the "original" main page back here, and main page to front page. Since this is the main page of the wiki this makes more sense to me, and then I don't have to change any links. :) http://taspring.clan-sy.com/index2.php is a w.i.p of a frontpage using [[Front Page]] as a source for the header. I'm not sure the talk pages are matching anymore though, perhaps some wiki master could take a look at it :)
--[[User:Fnordia|Fnordia]] 15:53, 23 Apr 2006 (W. Europe Daylight Time)
:Its looking good. You still have to properly implement the Community News (Just replace {{Template:Community_News}} with the community news), but apart from that I cant see a problem at all.
:
:Should the page be protected so random vandals dont come in and destroy it? Its not a problem now, but in the future it might be.
:
: --[[User:Maelstrom|Maelstrom]] 16:00, 23 Apr 2006 (W. Europe Daylight Time)

Hey, cool to see that its on its way :) . Your right, the history and talk are somewhat messed up (I think). I donÃ‚Â´t have the time now, but I might fix it later. However, I donÃ‚Â´t think I can do everything without admin rights.
regards [[User:SeanHeron|SeanHeron]] 13:23, 2 May 2006 (W. Europe Daylight Time)

Ok, had a look at the history and that seems to be A OK :D . The Talk:Browse the Wiki was still there, but I messed up moving it here (cause I changed this page first, doh!). Anyway well done on moving the pages Fnordia. And sorry about me hurrying you :) . Nice work, and now I can understand why you needed some time (I wasnÃ‚Â´t expecting you to make a new .php page :D) . regards [[User:SeanHeron|SeanHeron]] 09:42, 8 May 2006 (W. Europe Daylight Time)

----------------------------------------------------------------

Should I add links to Google translations of the main page? [http://www.google.com/translate_t The source] at the bottom is translating a website, I'll link that to our current translations at the top. -Esteroth12

==Alternative Main page ?==
There a quite some people who donÃ‚Â´t like a first page filled with links. So IÃ‚Â´ve semi started an [[Main Page alternative|alternative version]].
Based on this chat:

[23:45:09] <[LCC]LordMatt[1st]> make the front page simpler

[23:45:12] <[LCC]IaMaCuP> i dont know why they have risen to be the BeAllEndAll of tutorial pages

[23:45:23] <[LCC]LordMatt[1st]> one link for getting started topics

[23:45:24] <SeanHeron> you disaprove of the wikipedia I gather ...

[23:45:35] <[LCC]LordMatt[1st]> one link for online play

[23:45:42] <[LCC]LordMatt[1st]> one link for single player

[23:45:45] <[LCC]IaMaCuP> meh

[23:45:47] <[LCC]LordMatt[1st]> one link for dev

[23:45:50] <[LCC]LordMatt[1st]> those four

BOTA

2008-01-31T18:55:39Z

Pxtl:

==Basically OTA==

===BOTA and Spring 0.76b1===
BOTA has a crash-bug incompatibility with the latest release of the Spring engine. Since no-one has stepped forward to fix this (or any other bugs that were present in BOTA 1.5) the project can be considered dead.

===About BOTA===

[[Image:Botabattle.jpg|thumb|200px|left|A battle at full tilt in BOTA 1.4]]
Basically OTA, or BOTA, was originally masterminded and created by Thor. Thor, like many old time OTA players, felt that the spring conversion of OTA was lackluster and sloppy at best, as Spring's lack of features at the time made it difficult to properly recreate the feel and gameplay of OTA. But instead of working to create an exact conversion of OTA, he decided to create his own mod in the flavor of OTA, calling it "Basically OTA". BOTA was first released as Version 1.0 around the same time as AA Version 1.35.

Instead of aiming to change the game's balance through things like armor classes and weapon types as Absolute Annihilation has, BOTA uses the same type universal damage stats as OTA, and instead determines unit balance through basic stats such as Hit Points, Speed, and Range. All of the units in BOTA have recieved a substantial Range and Speed increase. Also, like OTA, Missile Towers can shoot at ground, laser and ballistic weapons can hit and kill air (because of the universal damage system). Mobile Units in BOTA 1.4 also have a much greater speed and acceleration than the previous versions.

===BOTA Gameplay===

Gameplay in BOTA is based on the "War of Manuever" style of strategy. Many mobile units have a range advantage over defensive turrets. Also, level 1 units continue to be effective straight to the end of a match in many cases. Level 2 units, while more powerful than level 1, do not have a signifigant HP advantage over level 1 and can be overwhelmed easily by superior numbers of level 1. [[Image:Botaarty.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Level 2 Artillery Supporting a level 1 Rush.]] It is always best to use level 2 as a supplimental force for your level 1 grunts.

===BOTA Today===

Thor ceased developement with '''BOTA Version 1.3'''. Unfortunately this was also at the same time that the mod began to pick up in popularity. The mod's primary supporter, Quanto, opted to contact Thor to allow him to continue the mod where Thor left off. Thor agreed, and Quanto promptly completed BOTA Version 1.4.

'''BOTA Version 1.4''' is the first ever Spring Mod that features the '''"Fire Through Friendlies"''' and '''"Friendly Fire"''' found in OTA. Now, more than ever, BOTA closely resembles OTA in gameplay. But as Thor had always strongly said, BOTA was never meant to '''''be''''' OTA, it has simply been a different take on OTA gameplay.

Future Versions of BOTA may still be completed, mainly to keep BOTA up to date with future spring versions, and also to possibly tweak its balance while still remaining faithful to Thor's Original Concept.

'''BOTA Version 1.5''' is finished! BOTA 1.5 is mostly a rebalanced update to help the gameplay move farther from single unit spam. Version 1.5 also features Armed Atlas' and Valkyries! Give it a shot and post what you think in the BOTA thread! [http://spring.clan-sy.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=9291 BOTA Thread]
'''Download [http://spring.unknown-files.net/file/2850/Basically_OTA_Version_1.5/ HERE]'''

Back to [[Mods]]

[[Category:Mods]]
{{Category:Mods}}

Absolute Annihilation/Units

2006-08-23T23:34:08Z

Pxtl: /* Common Lvl 2 KBots */

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. Has a nearly-harmless weapon that most units can outright ignore, so pick your targets carefully if using it for attack.

===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.

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

2006-08-23T23:32:05Z

Pxtl: /* Flea */

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. Has a nearly-harmless weapon that most units can outright ignore, so pick your targets carefully if using it for attack.

===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

2006-08-21T21:25:31Z

Pxtl: /* Jethro/Crasher */

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. 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

2006-08-07T17:17:57Z

Pxtl: /* Infiltrator/Parasite */

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. 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.

===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

2006-08-07T17:13:51Z

Pxtl: /* Ambusher/Toaster */

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. 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.

===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

2006-08-07T17:13:23Z

Pxtl: /* Ambusher/Toaster */

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. 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.

===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

2006-08-07T17:11:35Z

Pxtl: /* Guardian/Punisher Plasma Cannon */

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. 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.

====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

2006-08-07T17:11:09Z

Pxtl: /* Guardian/Punisher Plasma Cannon */

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. 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.

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

2006-08-07T17:07:17Z

Pxtl: /* Sentinel/Gaat Gun Heavy Laser Tower */

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. 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.

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

2006-08-07T17:04:38Z

Pxtl: /* Beamer/Heavy Light Laser Turret (HLLT) */

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. 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.

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

2006-08-07T17:02:49Z

Pxtl: /* Prude */

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. 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. 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

2006-05-04T14:47:54Z

Pxtl: /* Core Lvl 2 Vehicles */

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 much smaller footprint.

====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. 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. There are also specialized late-game long-range weapons that quickly, cheaply, and efficiently destroy any radar or jammer towers within their area of effect. Finally, some units (such as the Arm Gremlin tank or Core Vamp fighter) are "Stealthy", and cannot be detected by radar.

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

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

===Dragon's Eye===

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

===Dragon's Teeth/Fortification Walls===

These defensive structures aren't really structures. They do nothing but block the movement of enemy units, but are very cheap and fast to build. They can take a lot of damage, but can be reclaimed by construction units. Heavy units, like [[#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 Fire", which causes it to fire more damaging but highly inaccurate shells with a large area of effect in a high arc, or "Low Fire", which causes more direct, more accurate, but less powerful shells to be fired.

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

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

====Anenome/Jellyfish====

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

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.

===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.

====Detonator/Catalyst====

These ballistic missile launchers fire EMP missiles that paralyze units caught inside the blast. Their projectiles cannot be intercepted, making them very useful for assaulting heavily-fortified positions. Like nukes and anti-nukes, the Detonator/Catalyst must build each shot before it can be used.

====Juno====

The Juno is a much more limited 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.

===Core Level 2 Defence 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.

==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 are direct-fire, so they can't fire over other units. Position them carefully, as they will occasionally try, damaging your units in the process! (Using a line-movement command works very nicely for them) Their long range lets them get off at least a couple shots at most L1 defensive structures. They outrange LLTs, but cannot fire at them effectively without spotters.

====Hammer/Thud====

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

====Jethro/Crasher====

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

===Arm Lvl 1 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! The Can has a small auto-repair that functions even in combat, making it excellent at weathering sporadic fire and even harder to stop.

====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.

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

====Vanguard====

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

====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.

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 rapdily 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. 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.

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

===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 with insufficient AA.

===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.

====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

2006-05-04T14:47:16Z

Pxtl: /* Arm Lvl 2 Vehicles */

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 much smaller footprint.

====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. 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. There are also specialized late-game long-range weapons that quickly, cheaply, and efficiently destroy any radar or jammer towers within their area of effect. Finally, some units (such as the Arm Gremlin tank or Core Vamp fighter) are "Stealthy", and cannot be detected by radar.

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

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

===Dragon's Eye===

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

===Dragon's Teeth/Fortification Walls===

These defensive structures aren't really structures. They do nothing but block the movement of enemy units, but are very cheap and fast to build. They can take a lot of damage, but can be reclaimed by construction units. Heavy units, like [[#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 Fire", which causes it to fire more damaging but highly inaccurate shells with a large area of effect in a high arc, or "Low Fire", which causes more direct, more accurate, but less powerful shells to be fired.

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

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

====Anenome/Jellyfish====

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

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.

===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.

====Detonator/Catalyst====

These ballistic missile launchers fire EMP missiles that paralyze units caught inside the blast. Their projectiles cannot be intercepted, making them very useful for assaulting heavily-fortified positions. Like nukes and anti-nukes, the Detonator/Catalyst must build each shot before it can be used.

====Juno====

The Juno is a much more limited 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.

===Core Level 2 Defence 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.

==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 are direct-fire, so they can't fire over other units. Position them carefully, as they will occasionally try, damaging your units in the process! (Using a line-movement command works very nicely for them) Their long range lets them get off at least a couple shots at most L1 defensive structures. They outrange LLTs, but cannot fire at them effectively without spotters.

====Hammer/Thud====

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

====Jethro/Crasher====

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

===Arm Lvl 1 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! The Can has a small auto-repair that functions even in combat, making it excellent at weathering sporadic fire and even harder to stop.

====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.

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

====Vanguard====

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

====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!

====Croc====

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

====Intruder====

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

====Banisher====

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

====Tremor====

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

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 rapdily 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. 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.

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

===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 with insufficient AA.

===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.

====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

2006-05-04T14:46:13Z

Pxtl: /* Common Lvl 2 Vehicles */

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 much smaller footprint.

====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. 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. There are also specialized late-game long-range weapons that quickly, cheaply, and efficiently destroy any radar or jammer towers within their area of effect. Finally, some units (such as the Arm Gremlin tank or Core Vamp fighter) are "Stealthy", and cannot be detected by radar.

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

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

===Dragon's Eye===

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

===Dragon's Teeth/Fortification Walls===

These defensive structures aren't really structures. They do nothing but block the movement of enemy units, but are very cheap and fast to build. They can take a lot of damage, but can be reclaimed by construction units. Heavy units, like [[#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 Fire", which causes it to fire more damaging but highly inaccurate shells with a large area of effect in a high arc, or "Low Fire", which causes more direct, more accurate, but less powerful shells to be fired.

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

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

====Anenome/Jellyfish====

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

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.

===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.

====Detonator/Catalyst====

These ballistic missile launchers fire EMP missiles that paralyze units caught inside the blast. Their projectiles cannot be intercepted, making them very useful for assaulting heavily-fortified positions. Like nukes and anti-nukes, the Detonator/Catalyst must build each shot before it can be used.

====Juno====

The Juno is a much more limited 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.

===Core Level 2 Defence 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.

==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 are direct-fire, so they can't fire over other units. Position them carefully, as they will occasionally try, damaging your units in the process! (Using a line-movement command works very nicely for them) Their long range lets them get off at least a couple shots at most L1 defensive structures. They outrange LLTs, but cannot fire at them effectively without spotters.

====Hammer/Thud====

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

====Jethro/Crasher====

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

===Arm Lvl 1 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! The Can has a small auto-repair that functions even in combat, making it excellent at weathering sporadic fire and even harder to stop.

====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.

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

====Vanguard====

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

====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.

====Triton====

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

====Panther====

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

====Penetrator====

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

====Seer====

Radar on wheels.

====Gremlin====

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

====Consul====

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

====Demolisher====

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

===Core Lvl 2 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!

====Croc====

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

====Intruder====

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

====Banisher====

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

====Tremor====

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

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 rapdily 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. 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.

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

===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 with insufficient AA.

===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.

====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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