42 Bots vs 14 Tanks

According to the dictionary, a battalion is... "a large body of troops ready for battle, especially an infantry unit forming part of a brigade typically commanded by a lieutenant colonel."

So you know, that's about right.

Apart from that though, a little micro never hurt anyone, but since this game is "the ultimate macro game", maybe cloaking can activate when you're close to enemy structures, or an enemy army. This'd remove a bit of the micro (you wouldn't have to activate it manually.) but there'd still be strategy in placing units. That's not THAT MUCH micro.

The idea of giving permanent stealth to doxen wouldn't really do anything, tanks would still shred bots to pieces.

See the above for my thought on micro.

Also, what if the cloak also gave radar jamming/stealth?

And yes you can do things to protect, that's why I suggested the cloak only last for 10 minus 1 per every 10 bots.
Once the bots uncloak they'd be sitting ducks in plain view.

I guess I just don't understand. Every other type (naval, vech, air, orbital) has an AA and a radar unit, but not bots....Why?

If there was a radar type bot, you could easily deal with the no vision problem. You would still have the damage issue.

A well deserved flogging, I might add.

I think t2 bots should be able to swim. bots should swim. I think bots should be useful land and water while tanks. sure they'll be a little slower but it'll be a nice use for them in the game

It was done for "Diversity".

Mike

Air doesn't have radar types.
Neither does naval, for that matter.

Vehicle is the only unit type besides orbital that has a radar unit.
It doesn't make it any less stupid, mind.
I seriously want to know what the meeting was like between Scathis and Meta.

Scathis: This unit has a crap-ton of HP, AND a super powered version of the inferno weapon. What else could we do to make sure that literally everyone will hate it?

Meta: Hmm... How about we give it an unjustifiably large vision radius AND an on-board radar, making it literally impossible to counter when paired with shellers?

Scathis: GENIUS!! They'll NEVER like this unit!!

*both maniacally laugh*

Just for the sake of clarity I will point out that it's the Vanguard that has Radar.....just in case.

Mike

He meant vision units, not radar.

Erm, actually the slammer already is amphibious.

So, did some testing on PTE, dox can to take out a little over a 3rd of their cost worth from a group of tanks if both groups ram head on into each other.
Grenadiers must have been nerf'd a lot more than I thought, because they're no longer even close to cost effective against tanks... even in large numbers, it seems.
So yeah, only T1 counters to tanks are bombers or more tanks, maybe with some infernos and combat fabbers thrown into the mix.

I also wonder what they were thinking. This is close to my rendition, but I injected sarcasm.

it'll be nice if everything could swim
I think the statera mod has a good idea for how bots should be with that t1 bot missle launcher guy

I've wondered why vehicles have scouts and AA, it makes more sense to keep Dox weak and then bring back bot AA and add a bot scout but remove the scamper and vehicle AA. That way bots are useful for early scouting and AA while vehicles are useful for actual combat. Utility bots, Strong vehicles. Makes sense to me. You could also reduce the vision of vehicles a touch as well so that they can't fire their full range without radar or scout bots in the mix.

That doubles as an amphibious torpedo bot.

Dox: Raider, high dps unit with low HP and high speed. Not really countered by anything nor does it counter anything that other direct fire units can't counter.
Crasher: About as fast as the dox, but more costly. Uses a very high damage rocket that four shots tanks, 3 shots mexes but is slow moving so it can easily be avoided. Punishes those who don't mix torpedo boats in with naval armies.
Stomper: Artillery bot. High alpha, but long reload time. Fires in a low arc, meaning that it can go over walls and terrain features.
Boom: Very low health explosive bot. Takes about two hits and that's it. Does great AoE and one-shots mexes.
Smasher: Gatling bot. Does great DPS with a limited turn rate, leaving it vulnerable to bombers and, in the opening seconds of a fight, other direct fire units. Great vs gunships, but low HP for its cost means that it must be mixed in with doxen.

he looks so lonely

I advocate Radar bot.

Also, turn Grenadier into ARM Rocko.
A low rate-of-fire, high damage + splash damage unit. Poor DPS (thus poor against buildings) but excels against tanks and massed air (but not light air). It's poor against bots because bots can out-maneuver the projectile or swarm it before it can fire twice. It's advantage against buildings is only that it can fire over walls. The splash is to finish off wounded tanks or to make for "compounding victories" in extended engagements (e.g. the effective time-to-kill of the Rocko goes up the longer it fights against the tanks). Biggest advantage is long range, but longer than it can see.

That might give Bots a use. A few Radar bots, throw in some Rocko's too, but mostly dox. The dox soak damage by overcoming tanks' rate-of-fire. Rocko's fire into the tanks and take out the tanks that are partially damaged by doxen. Thus the primary use of the dox comes to absorb damage for more important units. If you want raw damage out of a bot, build booms.

Rocko had good DPS.

In the current PTE build dox are cheaper sure, but bots are still weak. Missile turret and commander (no that he can shoot anti-air missiles) own planes to the point that I think air is now pretty weak. Why do vech's get everything? The only real counter to vech. is vech and maybe you could say orbital.

Has anyone tried the com against boats with his torpedo gun?

I think the current stats of dox as a raiding unit would be pretty useful and cool except 1) its not really worth it to build a bot factory in early game (when the dox would be useful), and 2) its vision is terrible, so chasing down fabs or spinners is not so practical.