Epic End Game Units

Hi guys, I am still a relatively new player, but I have been playing long enough to realize something big is missing (yes I know, beta is beta), but what I mean is Big, as in I want to be able to build Epic units. I realize that other threads have gone on about having experimentals, but I dont think that that is what I am trying to get to. I want something MASSIVE, something that been seen apart from the crowd. To put my thoughts in more of a visual point, something like the Baneblade for treaded vehicles





and the Titan from Warhammer 40K




they would look amazing using Planetary Annihilation graphics and makeovers. Something for air would be great too. The existing difference between the low tech ships and the high tech ships is a great example, you can easily tell which one is bigger and harder to take down. Please tell me if this thread is unwanted, and if so I will get rid of it.

Uber, and from what I can see the majority of the community, have wanted to abstain from large game ending units. Uber has stated they don't want "Experimentals" like from SupCom.

Personally, I don't like large single game ending units.

They're a helluva lot of fun for casual play – I enjoyed using them against the AI in SupCom, but all in all, I personally don't like them in competitive play.

These types of units will most certainly be added through mods. But from what Uber has told us so far, they won't be in the official release.

I am not talking about large single game ending units, though I can see how I may have lead you to believe that. The thing is that most of the units are around the same size, even when I have my Ants and my Levelers in large groups I can get them mixed up. I want some that stand out in the crowd, the difference between the low tech and high tech ships is a great example.

Have you tried building halleys on a small moon? Now that's a game-ending unit that you get to fly right down onto the enemy commander!

Yeah, I think a bit of work should be done on the scale. Bear in mind that the current units are most likely not the finished thing, and there are a whole load more to come. I've only really played with vehicles currently, Ants and Levelers are a little bit too similar in size right now, I think maybe ants should be just a little smaller and levelers just a bit larger.

I look forward to Experimental units in mods, but I like that the base game doesn't have them.

You should have phrased your title then: "Epic End Game Units"

So are you talking about just making some units larger than others without making them stronger?

I've pondered the single use units choice by Uber as well – particularly with Naval.

But it's what they're sticking to.

We'll see what the rest of the unit roster brings.

Due to the size of Commanders on super small moons, and how units aren't that much smaller than Commanders, I'd tend to guess most units will be about the same size as the current unit set.

Another thing to factor in, what you're proposing is a unit set that's stronger than the Advanced units – which would be the equivalent of a Tech 3. Uber has already said they don't plan on adding units like that in the game. They plan on making all units valid at all stages of the game. Making a set of units that are larger and more powerful than Levelers would completely invalidate basic units.

We'll see though.

A little variety in the general size of units would be nice, though we are to understand there are many units yet to be deployed in the game so it could be a case of wait & see.

The only one I can think of now that significantly varies from the norm is the tech2 bomber.

Hmm... Lets see if I can phrase this correctly, what about a compromise; not a new set of units, but maybe a redesign of some of the current ones, we are still in Beta, so there is a chance (however small) that it could happen. Really, it could be as simple as making the Leveler bigger and adding two small missile launchers on either side of the turret. Sort of like the Mammoth from C&C 3 tib wars, it could handle one or two bombers no problem, but against larger amounts it would be a losing battle.

cant resist to link lol

While I think "Experimentals" like King Kriptor, or the Megalith, or Monkeylord are cool, they don't fit as well in PA as they did in SupCom. However, I would like something slightly more than Levellers. Like T3, but not T3. Maybe they're built from T2 factories, but are more expensive and take longer to build.

...I always wanted a Voxel of that tank for in my Ra2 Yr mod... couldn't't find it anywhere..

but on topic!

game ending units more like Siege units, so Titan, Percival, Loyalist(who is lovely) and The Brick I think,
and in Tier2 level Total Annihilation already had that,
- Bulldog, heavy main tank
- Panther, light armored tank with AA options
- Penatrator, a mobile Annihilation weapon..

all from the same factory, only more metal, energy and time cost.
so I think there is no need for a experimental tier, but more types of roles, where at the moment it is only AA and ground vehicle, ship, aircraft and orbital, but I can't wait to see what Uber has more in its sleeve.

p.s. Krogoth

big units are possible, but i don't think they would be made as game-enders

My two cents: the concept of unit progression is the problem. The less progression during a game, the better. It's not about something missing, but about too much of something.

Making a unit bigger and with bigger numbers in its profile does not automatically make the unit interesting, or "epic." In fact, a duel between very big units is not nearly as strategically interesting as a large-scale conflict between large armies, with a lot of territory to cover, positional control, and reinforcements. Not to mention the amount of time and resources required to construct such big units before they can even perform any in-game actions.

Smaller units can start doing things when each unit is completed, and the army grows over time. The same investment for a mega-unit can give you a really large army. You can also customize an army based on its unit mix in a way you cannot customize a single massive preset unit. And the army changes over the course of a game as it moves, changes shape, suffers casualties, and grows in size.

By contrast, really big units make for really boring battles.

Okay, I obviously spent a while deciding how to answer this correctly, you are completely right, it is best to have a versatile, army composed of varying kinds of units, but I have also lost track of how many times my faster Spinners have charged ahead into the enemy defenses before I can get them to turn back, often ending up destroyed. Leaving my Ants and Levelers open to enemy air.

I want a multipurpose unit that can handle air and land like the Narwhal, I am just saying it should be big to make it fair for the player that is being attacked, a bigger unit always screams "kill me first" heck, I like Zoliru's picture of the Mammoth tank, it is a great example on how an existing unit that looks like it (aka the leveler) could be given just that little bit of extra oomph to defend itself better. I can easily see that people hate mega units, but a reworking of existing units might help. In fact, I cant think of a tech 2 anti air ship, bot, or boat, they are all in the lower techs.

There is certainly a lot of room for units that are bigger, slower, stronger, meaner and more expensive than the standard units, while still basically being "common" T2 units, like Sumo from TA. (Although I actually thought Sumo was a bit over the top. TOO slow and TOO strong...)

One thing I'm not sure about, though...

A lot of what made these larger units (including all ships) cool in TA was that each turret could fire independently. The TA Core battleship had two completely different weapons and they could be shooting at different targets at the same time. I'm not sure PA does this. I've never noticed the multiple turrets of ships picking different targets.

Without that, I think these larger, multi-gun units would lose a lot of what made them cool.

The best question to ask for big things is "can we make it smaller/cheaper/etc?". If the answer is yes, then you're doing it wrong.

Moving and attacking is quite possibly the most basic of basic roles that anything in an RTS can have. If the unit design consists of only these two things, it doesn't deserve to be big.

I can't think of anything better than these units from TA Escalation mod. The medium sized tanks in the image are the main battle tanks(kinda T2.5), arm centurion and core behemoth along with them for size comaprison are the heavy T2 tanks arm bulldog and core goliath and the T3 mobile LRPC's arm nova and core overlord.