Vehicles

This is an overview of the Total Annihilation vehicles, both Arm and Core. This is not intended to be an extensive overview of the units, though it does provide a good look into each.

Arm Vehicles

Tech Level 1

Arm Vehicle Plant

The Arm vehicle plant, shown above, is built by the commander, and can be built by other Arm construction units as they are attained. The vehicle plant builds the basic, Tech Level 1 vehicles, such as the:

Construction Vehicle

The Construction Vehicle is an unarmed, mobile unit that builds Tech Level 2 structures and can reclaim metal from wreckage. It can also build the same basic structures that the Commander can, thus freeing the commander from those duties

Arm Jeffy

The Jeffy is a fast scout vehicle that is cheap and quick to produce. It is very effective as a recon or patrol vehicle, and, endowed with a light laser, has the firepower to destroy unguarded enemy structures such as metal extractors. However, an enemy hit does a lot of damage, so this unit is not meant for slugging it out.

Arm Flash

The Flash is a light assault tank. It moves fast, and with its relative low cost, the Flash becomes a good unit for recon patrols, assaults on light targets, and for just generally aggravating your enemy.

Arm Stumpy

The Arm Stumpy is a medium assault tank, stronger and slower than the Flash, but faster and weaker compared to the Bulldog main battle tank. It is good in small groups for removing recon posts or fledgling enemy bases, and is also good in larger groups for a base assault.

Arm Samson

The Arm Samson is an Anti-Air rocket vehicle, though capable of ground fire also. It is comparable to the jethro, but provides a more powerful anti-aircraft defense. Placed a bit sparsely and on patrol in your base, they can create a good anti-aircraft defense.

Tech Level 2

Arm Advanced Vehicle Plant

The Arm Advanced vehicle plant provides you with mobile artillery, amphibious tanks, mobile rocket launchers, and heavy assault tanks, as well as the Spider.

Arm Advanced Construction Vehicle

This construction vehicle produces long-range cannons, nuclear missile launchers, other powerful weapons, and the most advanced radar available in game. It also produces more advanced resource collectors, capable of making the ones you have built at the start of the game obsolete.

Arm Bulldog

The Arm Bulldog is a heavy assault tank, with about half the speed and acceleration, and turning rate, of the Stumpy. What it lacks in speed, though, it makes up for in its plasma cannon firepower. This is the Arm's main battle tank, slow, but durable and powerful.

Arm Jammer

The Jammer is synonymous with the Eraser, and jams enemy radar signals.

Arm Seer

The Arm Seer is a mobile radar vehicle. It gives you the ability to move your radar coverage to where it can reveal most about the enemy. It can also be set on a patrol route, giving it greater coverage, and making it harder to target.

Arm Luger

The Luger is a mobile artillery vehicle. It can accurately hit targets within its range, and is quite powerful, making it a good support unit for assaults.

Arm Spider

The Spider is considered a vehicle in some senses, and a kbot in others. Its laser does not do damage, but stuns instead. In large groups, it can be useful to paralyze an attacking enemy so that the Commander can capture them.

Arm Penetrator

The Arm Penetrator is similar in weapon to the Annihilator, except in the fact that it's mobile and has less range. It is useful for holding positions as an assault group advances, leaving a strong point for a group to fall back to if need be.

Arm Panther

The Panther is a lightning tank, a special unit good when combined with assault groups a few at a time. It is also equipped with a missile launcher, which gives it an edge over the penetrator against air. It also requires no energy to fire, unlike the penetrator.

Arm Phalanx

The Phalanx is a mobile flak weapon, good for assault groups vulnerable to bombings or to patrol your base in place of flakkers.

Arm Merl

The Arm Merl fires unguided rockets in the same way as the nuclear missile silo, up, and over. These rockets can travel up to a screen away to hit targets within the Merl's range. This unit is not a good anti-air defense.

Arm Triton

The Triton is a light assault tank, with an ability to submerge itself in water. It is not heavily armored, and is not intended for heavy fighting, though can be used in small groups to take over islands and small sentries. This unit, like all other water units, is susceptible to submarine attack, so escort it with a friendly submarine group. It will be exposed by sonar.

Core Vehicles

Tech Level 1

Core Vehicle Plant

The Core vehicle plant is the counterpart to the Arm vehicle plant. It produces Tech Level 1 vehicles.

Construction Vehicle

The Construction Vehicle is an unarmed, mobile unit that builds Tech Level 2 structures and can reclaim metal from wreckage. It can also build the same basic structures that the Commander can, thus freeing the commander from those duties

Core Weasel

The Weasel scout vehicle has several uses early in the game. They can be positioned as sentries around metal extractors early in the game to ward off fast attackers, and can be sent into an undefended base to harass enemy construction units trying to build structures.

Core Instigator

The Core Instigator is a fast, maneuverable unit. It relies on its speed, as the laser it carries is rather weak. It is good for quick attacks in groups of four to six tanks, and can be used one or two at a time in a patrol or stationed as a sentry.

Core Raider

The Raider has the best combination of firepower, maneuverability, and speed, among the other vehicles and kbots in its class. However, it's slow enough to be easily destroyed by three or four PeeWees. Travel with these tanks in groups.

Core Slasher

The Slasher is analogous to the Samson. It is great early in the game to defend against enemy air power, but is not particularly strong against ground units, though it can be deployed in this role if need be.

Tech Level 2

Core Advanced Vehicle Plant

The Core Advanced vehicle plant produces Tech Level 2 vehicles. It is a key structure in battle. Protected by its own radar jammer, it can be set up some distance from your base, and provide itself with its own firepower.

Advanced Construction Vehicle

The Core Advanced Construction Vehicle builds the Core Tech Level 2 structures. It is in most aspects, if not all, similar to the Arm ACV, building long range cannons and nuclear missile silos.

Core Reaper

The Reaper is a slow but powerful unit. It is heavily armored, and is the Core main battle tank. It is not intended for hit-and-run operations. It is the Core equivalent of the Bulldog, and will almost completely destroy a Bulldog alone.

Core Deleter

An Electronic Counter Measures unit, this unit can be used to conceal a force of tanks within a small area, or to hide a single metal extractor from enemy radar. The jam radius is short, however. Don't expect it to cover an army by itself.

Core Informer

The Informer is a mobile radar units useful for providing dynamic radar coverage. It does not have the accessability that a KBot does, however, so its terrain access is limited. Be careful not to run it into enemy patrols or sentries without backup.

Core Pillager

The Pillager is a Tech Level 2 artillery unit. It is an excellent choice for lobbing shells into large groups, and for base bombardment. Its range allows it to send shells over rough or uneven terrain and other obstructions.

Core Goliath

This tank is the ace up Core's sleeve, as is the Spider to Arm. It is a super heavy tank, the only one in the game. It can be very effective in major base assaults. Although slow, this unit can provide invaluable support against tough opposition.

Core Diplomat

The Diplomat launches an unguided rocket at targets within its range. It can be very useful in standoff attacks on enemy bases, or, coupled with radar, can be used to provide an early advantage against incoming attackers.

Core Copperhead

The Copperhead is synonymous with the Phalanx. It can be used as a roaming base patrol against bombing raids, or can be dispatched with a group of units to cover them against enemy fighters.

Core Crock

The Crock, like crocodile, is an amphibious tank. It can be used to make a suprise attack on an enemy that is expecting boats or planes. However, it is not intended to be used as a heavy assault unit, it's good in larger groups. This unit can be exposed by sonar and attacked by subs.

Core Hedgehog

The Hedgehog is a mobile missile defense, made for blocking enemy nuclear strikes. It has no normal weapons, so do not put this near combat if you can help it.

Core Leveler

The Leveler is a riot tank that uses a flamethrower, which is very effective against light swarms, as it pierces most units and also does heavy damage. It is less effective against single, high-power units. It also has less health then the Bulldog and Reaper.