[PC]Supreme Commander

Waz is currently nuking the butts of a few AI on Supreme Commander:



What is Supreme Commander?
Ever heard of Total Annihilation? Well, it's pretty much similar. Actually, Supreme Commander can be considered as its sequel. It's basically a real-time strategy game like starcraft, command and conquer, or warcraft. The main differences, I reckon, are:
- unlimited resources!!!
- massive epic battles that are fought on a planetary level, i.e. the maps are freaking huge!
- unlimited resources = armies of gargantuan size!!! In other words, you may end up spending a whole day trying to defeat one particular commander!
- unlimited resources = loads of tactical nukes can be built! mama mia! Be prepared for it's nuke time!!!
- we can zoom in and out of the map while playing, i.e. we can be close up to the unit or we can have an eagle-eye view of the whole map! Also when we are close up, we can rotate the camera so that we can watch a particular area from different directions.

source: wiki

- Experimental units!!! These are highly advanced units that rain destruction at an apocalyptic level!


There are three factions in Supreme Commander: Aeon Illuminate, Cybran Nation, United Earth Federation.

From Wiki:
Aeon Illuminate

The Aeon draw their roots from the Golden Age of expansion of the old Earth Empire. The descendants of the first humans to encounter alien intelligent life, a peaceful, yet highly advanced, society known as the Seraphim, who first introduced colonists to their philosophy, known as "The Way". Due to escalating paranoia and xenophobia among the Old Earth Empire, however, conflict soon broke, driving the Seraphim to extinction. The colonists of the alien planet, claiming to be "disciples" of the Seraphim, soon founded a civilization, supposedly based upon their teachings. In a twist of irony, the Aeon Illuminate soon began a zealous assault on the galaxy, intending to "purge" all those who did not share in their beliefs.

In sharp contrast to the other two factions, Aeon units have a smooth and elegant design, unlike the rough build of the UEF or the menacing atmosphere of the Cybran Nation. Aeon tactics rely on efficient, specialized attack vehicles with very powerful, yet narrow capabilities. Their weapons tend to be slower firing, but more damaging, than those of their rivals. A platoon Aeon light hovercraft, as an example of their tactics, has approximately half the durability of its UEF counterpart, but will still hold its own in battle, due to greater range and firepower.

The Aeon experimental units are the Galactic Colossus sacred assault bot, the CZAR airborne aircraft carrier, and the Tempest submersible battleship.

Cybran Nation

The Cybran Nation (originally called the Recyclers) is composed of Symbionts, humans whose brains have been computerized and enhanced with implantable technology, the most important being the mutual AI (in addition to various other augmentations). They fight for the liberation of their fellow Cybran from the oppressive United Earth Federation. The Cybran Nation is led by the brilliant-yet-eccentric Dr. Brackman, the chief designer of the cybernetic technology behind the Cybrans, as well as a father figure to them. Since the war has been going on for over a thousand years Dr.Brackman's body is long since gone and now only his brain is preserved and he is shown via a holographic projection of him.

The Cybran units are highly advanced. Their primary focus is on adaptability, accuracy, and stealth. The units of the Cybran nation display unusually wide ranges of functionality, not the least notable of which are their ability to deploy ships with land-walking capabilities, or a self-repairing assault bot. The Cybrans' versatility comes at the cost of having less direct firepower than the UEF or the Aeon in head to head confrontation, begging players to rely more on their units' outstanding accuracy and versatility to meet their ends. Most Cybran weapons are based on laser or energy-pulse technology rather than projectiles, lending them more accuracy and increasing effectiveness against moving targets, but decreasing their potency versus fortifications or on varied terrain (due to their weapons' straight-firing nature.)

Cybran units are sharply hewn and "spiky", augmenting their no-frills style of design (described as "red, angular, and spikey" in a developer interview found on the bonus DVD). According to a Chris Taylor interview located on the Supreme Commander DVD, Cybran unit designs are the result of extremely intelligent engineers, capable of adapting and responding to any need that may arise. If the Nation requires a destroyer able to walk on land, which Taylor gives as an example, little difficulty is met in updating a tried design to do just that. Another example is the nuclear submarine, which is not only able to launch strategic missiles and cruise missiles, but also has many anti-naval weapons, and thus does not require as much support if attacked.

The Cybran experimental units are the Monkeylord spider-bot walker, the mobile Scathis rapid-fire artillery platform, and the Soul Ripper gunship.

United Earth Federation

The United Earth Federation (or 'UEF') is the faction representing the interests of a united, Earth-based government. The UEF developed from the ashes of the Earth Empire, and now seeks to reunite humanity and restore Earth's control over the galaxy. Their society and military tactics resemble modern society more than the Cybrans or Aeon do. Their acceptance of a variant of slavery and ideology of forced unity lends a darker side to the faction.

The UEF favours traditional modes of warfare, utilizing treaded tanks, light ballistics, and large calibre weapons reminiscent of present-day designs. They tend to be the most durable, but often at the penalty of firepower and special abilities. Their design style is somewhat derived from 20th and 21st century mechanized warfare and technology, having inherited neither the alien tradition and methods of the Aeon, nor the ultra-integrated cybernetic mentality of the Cybran. UEF Units tend to be physically tougher, but possess less direct firepower compared to other factions. The UEF often rely on their heavy weapons and armour to hold existing positions while advancing slowly but steadily, as their general unit design would suggest. In addition, turreted UEF units are generally slow to turn and respond due to their heavy armour, giving them a vulnerability to flanking attacks.

The UEF's Experimental units are the Fatboy mobile factory, the Atlantis submersible aircraft carrier, and the Mavor strategic artillery platform.

What is a Commander?
The commander is a gigantic mech. The player starts with the commander at the beginning of each op. It is responsible for constructing the basic structures that will enable the production of armies and defenses. Later in the game, it can upgraded and armed with tactical nuke. Depending upon the faction, the commander can be upgraded so that it can teleport. The aim of most op is to eliminate the opposing commander. The prob with having a commander is that upon destruction, a nuclear meltdown follows. In other words, if the commander is pawned within the base, half of the base will be wiped off the map. On the other hand, this can also be used to eliminate all the enemy's defence once and for all (especially in multiplayer sessions where the opponent is simply turtling)

Experimental Units
Here is a screenshot of the cybran's experimental unit:



Unless I'm playing for at least two hours, it's unlikely that I'll end up building an experimental unit. Also, if the map is such that the AI's commander is just next to my base, it's not worth building one. Experimental units are useful when the game has reached a bottleneck . But, even then, they may not be game-ending for the opponent can counter them with his/her own experimental units. Currently, I prefer using those of the United Earth Federation. I've tried those of the Cybran and the Aeon Illuminate as well. But they don't have the range or firepower I'm looking for. Or, I'm using them in the wrong way!!! I like: monkeylord, scathis, soul ripper, fatboy and mavor (see below). The fatboy and the mavor are from the United Earth Federation. Despite it being being very slow, I like the fatboy as it has shield generator and has quite a long range!!! The mavor is a long range artillery unit and unlike it's cybran counterpart: scathis, it doesnot use up power and is way more accurate! Also, those of the cybran nation can be easily gunned down by tech 3 gunships of the United Earth Federation. As for those of the Aeon Illuminate, I've yet to found them useful. I guess I need to play more with them.

From wiki:
Aeon Illuminate

* "Czar" Flying Fortress: The Czar is usually described as an Independence Day-style flying saucer, complete with a massive quantum beam generator that deals tremendous damage to anything unfortunate enough to be caught beneath the Czar. In addition to its main weapon, anti-aircraft weapons line the perimeter of the Czar, and it can carry a large amount of aircraft, equivalent to one full wing of seventy-two. The latest update also gives it the ability to construct aircraft internally when not on the move.
* "Galactic Colossus" Sacred Assault Bot: This is the single most durable unit in the game, it can survive a ground zero of a strategic nuclear missile blast (in fact, four are required to destroy the Galactic Colossus). It has a head-mounted 'Phason Laser' which can destroy an unshielded Armored Command Unit in half a second, and two 'gravity claw' arms that can grab and destroy many land units. It is, however, extremely slow and lacks any anti-aircraft capabilities. In addition, the wreckage of the Sacred Assault Bot can provide the largest amount of mass from a single object in the game to add to a commander's war effort if it is reclaimed, allowing for a rapid recovery by the opponent if employed carelessly.
* "Tempest" Submersible Battleship: Carries a long range energy cannon and six torpedo launchers. The Tempest can quickly construct naval units up to Tech Tier 2 destroyers and cruisers; however, like the "Fatboy" mobile factory, it can only construct units while surfaced and not moving.

Cybran Nation

* "Soul Ripper" Experimental Gunship: A beetle-like gunship with outstanding durability for an aircraft. Twin iridium rocket packs capable of dealing splash damage provide it with respectable firepower against massed land targets, while its twin heavy electron bolters can deal further damage against single targets and its twin anti-aircraft missile launchers provide modest anti-air firepower. Usually meant for frontline help with air support and anti-air weapons. If used correctly, it can do a great deal of damage to the enemy.
* "Scathis" Experimental Mobile Rapid Fire Artillery: The Scathis consumes a considerable amount of energy, but can quickly saturate a large area with its cannons. Its durability has been greatly enhanced in the latest update; even so, it should not be left unsupported for any period of time. "Scathis" is the online handle of Gas Powered Games Lead Content Engineer John Comes.
* "Monkeylord" Spiderbot: The most iconic of the experimental units of Supreme Commander, the Monkeylord is armed with a heavy microwave laser, twin heavy electron bolters, anti-aircraft missiles, and even a torpedo launcher for protection while underwater. It can also conceal itself from radar systems for a moderate energy cost, allowing it to sneak up on unprepared bases in order to unleash its microwave laser, which suffers from a relatively short range. The microwave laser continues firing as long as units are in range, even if on the opposite side of the Monkeylord, resulting in a "garden hose" firing arc as the turret turns to meet the target.

United Earth Federation

* "Fatboy" Mobile Factory : A tracked mobile base that can crawl across land and the ocean floor. It is heavily armored and has a variety of weapons, including 4 triple-barreled plasma turrets, torpedo tubes and many anti-aircraft railguns. There are also short range machine guns located in the sides of the hull for added firepower and protection against units too close for the heavy turrets to hit. These are joined by a strong shield generator that can protect other units in its range. The Fatboy can also construct land units at twice the rate of a fully upgraded factory and can repair and refuel aircraft, but cannot do either of these when submerged. The Fatboy may be very loosely based off of the Landkreuzer P. 1000 Ratte, being an extremely large tracked vehicle with battleship-like weapons.
* "Atlantis" Submersible Aircraft Carrier: Can hold, refuel, and repair up to 150 aircraft, depending on size. It has several anti-aircraft weapons, mainly surface-to-air missiles and AA guns, but primarily relies on powerful torpedoes (from four torpedo tubes) to inflict damage. The Atlantis needs a large body of water to submerge completely, for if there is not enough room, part of it will jut out and become vulnerable to surface weapons. The latest patch gives it the ability to construct aircraft internally, further augmenting its abilities.
* "Mavor" Strategic Artillery: An extremely expensive artillery structure, the Mavor can fire extraordinarily accurate artillery shells across the largest of maps. Requires a very long time to build, and has very high resource costs in order to offset its decisive firepower. It is the closest there is to a game-ending unit in SupCom. The Mavor is named after Gas Powered Games senior staff member Jon Mavor.

k, that's all from me for now. But, do watch this space! If I'm free, I may upload a few screenshots! If I don't, just remind me if you are keen for more...