Useful units

[Agent Miles]

The default Probe Team uses the rover chassis and costs 30 minerals. If you just want to keep one in each base until you get the Hunter-Seeker, then they don't need the extra mobility. I make a custom Probe Team using the Infantry unit, which saves 10 minerals. You can eventually upgrade them with the drop pods ability and use them offensively after you have HS.

The AI builds a lot of bases in the ocean next to a coastal tile. I design an infantry unit with both drop pods and amphibious pods to take them. After my navy or airforce empties out the base's defenders, the unit lands on the costal tile and then swims out to the base.

I garrison each of my bases with an infantry unit designed with my best weapon and the heavy artillery option. I also design a reserve of these based on rovers that can respond to a threatened base. The massed long range fire can usually eliminate an enemy before it can even get next to the base. Later, you can add AAA ability and you'll have a very good dual purpose base defender.

The starting scout team unit should never be used as a scout. It's Independent and so never costs you support. I keep it in the HQ and gradually upgrade it throughout the game. The same is true for any Utility Rovers I find. After my artillery pound an enemy into the red, I let these units finish them off for experience. They should of course visit a monolith to push them up to Elite status. So I have a few expert units that pack a punch and never need minerals to support or trigger drones if they are left outside a base.

 

[AdamCrock]

some of my ideas: (might not be the best)
Foil probe and later cruiser probe might be useful.
Gravship supply ship / Gravship super formers with clean reactor (need to watch out for passing transports with "carrier")
Psi Copter for defensive purposes with high morale and only if normal/high morale on social engineering (even better with dream twister and usurpers/believers faction) otherwise just a copter with best weapon and high morale
defensive: (best armor: cost-effective) speeder/hovertank with ecm/air tracking
offensive: amphibious and later amphibious/blink infantry best possible weapon with no armor covered by interceptors (Air Power) on a carrier/AAA ships.
artillery: speeder/hovertank with best weapon available (covered by defensive - best armor speeder/hovertank with AAA tracking/ecm)
garrison: one unit with best possible armor and reactor high morale/trance covered by copters - early detection is crucial

and also
blink infantry with drop pods
trance later wave/trance "recon" speeders/hovertanks with best weapon available

 

[Agent Miles]

Thanks Adam, I'll give those a try.

Here's two other interesting units I discovered last night.

When you get Fusion reactors you can put them on a default crawler and switch out the chassis from Infantry to the Rover unit. This "Crawler 2.0" costs the same as the slower crawler. The increased speed can get them to resource tiles sooner or into a Secret Project base before someone else gets it.

Also, a basic Sea Former with the Foil chassis can be switched to a Cruiser chassis with a Fusion reactor, again with no increase in cost. The extra mobility may allow it to avoid destruction.

 

[History_Buff]

Take your Infantry Probe team, and slap armor on it. Then I think you can give it Trace as well. Ideal base defenders.

 

[splunge the 2nd]

I use History_Buff's idea for armored probe team base defender as, if I understand the mechanics, it doesn't require maintenance. Ideal for Morgan.

 

[History_Buff]

Indeed they do not require maintenance. Forgot about that part.

Can be very funny to armor your crawlers too, and force the enemy to wade through swarms of them to attack you.

 

[Agent Miles]

Here's another one to think about, the default title is Skybase Crawler. That would be a Gravship chassis, with supply pod, a 2-space radar (for free) and you can add some armor also for the same cost. With the Graviton reactor, it costs the same number of minerals as a sea Trawler based on a foil or cruiser. However, the "Skrawler" has much more range plus the ability to move onto sea or land tiles. Often, excellent resource tiles are left unused because they are located too far from any faction, but not too far away for this unit's 14 tile range. Also, since it is an air unit, only enemy units with the AAA ability can attack it and the armor will make even that difficult. A Skybase Super Former can work with the Skrawler to make these resource tiles even more useful.

 

[Bandobras Took]

Needlejet and Gravship Colony Pods. I like expanding.

 

[green1]

Better units brings an interesting point as far as AI. Now, I know you can go into alpha(x).txt and alter unit builds for the AI. However, there is one game out there that has changed my thinking on this for possible modders or a future sequel.

Stardock's Fallen Enchantress analyzes your builds then uses your creations against you.