Strategy:Absolute Annihilation
General Strategy
Absolute Annihilation is a modification of TA. Therefore, the same basic strategies and tactics that good TA players utilize are also utilized by good AA players. Although the best players heavily analyze famous military works such as The Art of War, the essence of the message lies in the following points:
- Always Expand
- Be Offensive
- Practice
Indeed, the actual units present in AA are irrelevant; it takes little time to learn what they all do. The key lies in utilizing them effectively. Always keep the following points in mind when playing, and above all, practice, and even if you lose, ask the person to whom you lost what you did wrong and right.
Strategies and their counters
This is a list of strategies, and a good way to counter them
Skirmishers
If you like small quick battles every now and again just to annoy your opponent, Skirmishing is the way to go. Just build a couple of decent units and send them on their way. By the time they die, you should have almost completed the second batch of skirmishers. Effective micro is the key to success with this mod.
How to counter: Use lots of planes, and build heavy defenses with a fair bit of range.
Stationary Defenses
If you like slow drawn out games, that result in a huge climax at the end, Stationary Defences are the way to go. Just amass lots of heavy defences, concentrating on choke points. But do not forget the sides, and even the middle of your base.
How to counter: Use Mobile Artiliary and Missle units. Cover these with skirmishers and a small level 1 swarm.
Artiliary
If close action is not for you, artiliary is a good option. Build lots of Mobile Artiliary, Missle Units, and other long range things. Use these to slowly creep towards your opponents base, killing any defences from afar. But Artiliary on thier own are usless. Complement them with either Stealth Units, Mobile Radar, or Scout Planes, so you can see what your shooting at.
Artillery should be used with a line of heavy units in front of it to prevent fast units from rushing right up next to your artillery, artillery will still shoot at a unit right next to them, dealing serious damage to themselves.
How to counter: Use radar jammers to block out any chance of your assailant using radar to spot you. Put up plenty of AA to stop air scouts. Attack the artiliary with some mobile units. Either a level 1 swarm so you can dodge the artiliary shells, or heavy assault units, so the shots dont hurt.
Jammers
Like stealth? Cover your base in Radar Jammers. Stops you from being spotted as easily. This is actually a good tactic for anyone to employ.
How to counter: Use stealth units, or scouts to work out where the base is, and locate important structures within the base. Attack however you want to.
Defense Swarming
One good option is to pump out defences. Pump out enough, and your base will be untouchable. Make sure to build plenty of every type of defence, pushing for the heavy defences quite quickly. If you can sucessfully control most of the map using lots of defence, there is no way for you to lose.
How to counter: Expand as quiclkly as possible, and try to take the land before your opponent. Set up a line of long range defences somewhere to stop your opponent getting to ambitious.
Mass Expansion
If you like power, and want to control the whole map, this is the way to go. Expand your base as quickly as possible, claming every resource point avaliable to you. If done right, your economy will expand extreemly quickly, making you the sole ruller of the map.
How to counter: Raid their early defences. As all their resources are going into expanding at first, they have nothing left to build defences. Raid their base as much as you can, and cripple every expansion they make.
Unit Swarming
Like huge battles? Swarm as many units as you can. Dont worry about static defences, as your army can quickly respond to any attack made against your base. Then, with your massive army, overwhelm the oppositions base.
How to counter: Pump out some defences. Before the flood arive. When they do, fight back with all youve got, and then retaliate. If you attack on multiple fronts, their army will be to spread out to porperly respond.
Commander
Advanced to a point that your comm is usless? Tired of seeing that old hunk of junk wasting away? Worried about that mobile bomb sitting in the middle of your base? Worry no longer! Cloak your commander and go on a D-Gunning rampage through the other persons base! Not only is it effective, when it dies, it leaves a massive smoking crater to remeber him by. Great for when you feel like some FPS action.
How to counter: Build radar so you can spot him coming. Send out some long range units so you can take it out from affar. DONT engage close range, cause a D-Gun to the face hurts!
Level One Swarming
Cant be bothered making that crucial step to level 2? Have a large, but almost usless level 1 army sitting round rusting? Put them to work! Pump out as many level one units as you can and go attack! They are so cheap, by the time one army is dead, you will have another ready to go.
How to counter: Invest in some level two defences, and micro some level 2 units, especially skirmishers and assult units.
Heavy Short Range Defenses
Use this option if you are to lazy to move. Just pump out some heavy duty firepower, and watch the opposition dropping like flies.
How to counter: Heavy level two units, or artiliary. Just slowly wear the opposition down, until nothing but dust is left.
Assault Units
Just find the biggest, most expensive unit you can find, and build a hundred of them. Then watch your opponent crumble under the sheer ferocity of your attack.
How to counter: As they are putting all their resources into production, just raid their defences base. Air units work well, especially a brawler swarm. When you go in, hit the economy to halt their production.
